Fire devastates 2 families

Community steps up by offering cash, items

Two Luling families lost almost all of their personal belongings after a fire tore through the rental home that they have lived in for the last two years.

Nine people were at the home at the time of the fire, which began shortly before 9 a.m. on Jan. 7. An observant driver passing by the home at that time noticed smoke coming from the garage and banged on the door of 111 St. Anthony St. to notify the families.

“My fiancé, Lewis Mumm, came and got me and told me to take my 23-month-old daughter  and get out of the house because it was on fire,” Angela Maher said. “I started to panic and was actually trying to find shoes because it was wet outside.

“Then I focused and realized that getting out of the house was all that mattered.”

Luckily for Angela, she had just put her 4-year-old son, Rowan, on a school bus.

Also living at the home were Angela’s brother, Christopher, his girlfriend, Julie Bearden, and their 1-year-old son, Christopher Jr. Because they were taking their stepdad, Frank, to Alabama on Jan. 8, that meant he, their mother, Irma, and brother, Mike, were also at the residence.

Everyone managed to make it out safely.

Angela said that the family members were able to go inside the home one-by-one after the fire to recover some belongings. She was amazed that birth certificates, social security cards and licenses survived the blaze. Not as lucky were the families’ other personal affects, such as clothes, electronics and toys.

Two vehicles under the garage were also totaled as a result of the fire.

“That was one of the worst things because we had just finished paying off our 2001 Chevy Cavalier four days before the fire,” Angela said.

Though the families lost so much, they have also gained a lot because of a huge rallying of community support.

“People have donated so much to us and they are also going out and buying things for us,” Angela said. “We have had 7-year-old boys come by and bring my son video games and toys. It just warms my heart and I have been shocked at how supportive everyone has been.

“This is a wonderful community.”

And because of donations, the families already have new beds to sleep in.

Along with members of the community, the American Red Cross also put the families up at a local hotel for four days, though now Angela, her brother and their families are living with their mother in LaPlace.

“The fire was the worst thing I have ever had to go through, but everything we lost was just stuff,” Angela said. “I am just happy that everyone is OK and that the community has been fantastic in terms of support.”

Angela believes the fire started when her fiancé went into the garage and turned on the space heater before returning to the house.

“It’s something he has done every morning, and he feels terrible about it, but I told him that sometimes things just happen,” she said. “Still though, I’d like to warn everyone about the dangers of space heaters.”

Luling Deputy Fire Chief Randy Petit said that the cause of the fire is believed to be the space heater. He said firefighters were on the scene quickly after the fire began and were able to get it under control after arriving.

“Our concern was that the fire could spread to nearby homes, and one home did take on some damage because of the heat,” Petit said. “But we were able to get the fire cooled at the sides of the home to prevent it from actually spreading.”

 

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply