A Barriere family is looking for a new home after their house was destroyed in an electrical fire last Thursday.
Patricia Lyons, 74, said she was returning home from an outing with her nine-year-old granddaughter, Ariel Taylor, when she saw the house on fire. Her husband Bruce, 79, was home at the time of the fire, which occurred at about 5 p.m. The only warning he had before nearly half the house was on fire was a loud popping sound, Patricia told the Star-Journal.
Her husband got out safely and Barriere First Responders provided him with oxygen for about half an hour, fire chief Ashley Wohlgemuth said.
The Chu Chua Volunteer Fire Department also came to support as the location didn’t have access to a fire hydrant line. It took roughly an hour to put out the main fire, Wohlgemuth said.
The firefighters then had to ferry water in their trucks from a gas station to ensure any small fires in the building were out.
The firefighters worked until roughly 9:30 p.m., Patricia said. “The people in Barriere have been so awesome. Neighbours especially. They were right there trying to help in any way they could,” she added. “I did not realize there were so many good people in this town. I should have known.”
The Lyons, along with their son Bruce Junior, 45, and young granddaughter, are staying with family friends while they figure out their next steps. The couple had lived in the house for more than 35 years. Patricia said she will have to find a new home because the house is beyond repair.
As the fire primarily damaged the family’s bedrooms, Patricia was able to recover some of the food in the freezer and pantry in the days after the fire. The couple has had to replace Bruce’s prescription medications and personal items such as shoes, clothing and toiletries.
They also lost jewelry and many photos not backed up digitally. Patricia said her family is working on saving some photo albums, which were drenched in firefighters’ efforts to put out the fire.
The family’s dog is with them at their friends’ home, while their old outdoor cat remains at their property, and is being fed by Patricia. The family’s second cat, a younger one, got spooked and ran off while it was staying with the Lyons’ daughter after the fire, although it has been reportedly spotted a few times since.
Patricia has put out some of her granddaughter’s clothing to help coax the young cat to come back.
The couple’s niece Jennifer Jackson is holding a raffle on Facebook to fundraise for the Lyons.