This house is approximately 2 blocks away, and I know the family well, that lives (lived) here. There are seven children, ranging in age from 3 to 17. That is as personal as I will get, as I could actually say more about these people (actually the mother) but I am restraining myself. No matter what issues people may have, living through a fire is a very traumatic event, and can possibly affect many years of your life.Luckily, NO one was home when this home became engulfed (probably due to a faulty wood burner in their basement). The father was at work, and mother and kids were Christmas shopping. From what I gather it started (or was noticed by neighbors) around 6 pm last night. The fire department was on site again at 4 am this morning as it had rekindled.
The good news is, all their Christmas presents are safe, as they were wrapped and stored in their garage...and they do have good insurance coverage. They will have places to stay, although I am sure they will be split between homes of grandparents and such.
The upside is, the family was not in the home and will recover from the loss of "stuff" that is replaceable. In our case, when our home burned in '84, we were in the home, surrounded by flames and toxic fumes, but managed to get out safely. (Except for my 21 year old cat - who awakened me to the fire). But that trauma stays with you forever.
When thedaughter viewed this scene last night, she had flashbacks to what she remembered (she was 4 at the time), and the smells. These are things that stick in your memory for quite some time.
We live in a "giving" community - and this family will have a good Christmas I am sure. It is just a tragic incident in and of itself...combined with the season.
***Just a note, that is a swimming pool in the front yard of this house which abuts right onto the main street. Not a great landscaping theme, but that was them!
More later...getting excited, theson will be home soon!! Have a good day all!
Later...........
2 comments:
Wow. I can't imagine how traumatic that would be. You should do a post sometime about your experience - if you want to relive it that is. Maybe you don't.
How awful for them. There's never a good time for something like this, but at Christmas it seems especially bad.
And how awful for your family to have gone through that. My father was a volunteer fireman and his stories of fires would scare the dickens out of me.
Post a Comment