Posted 5:25 am Tuesday, December 08, 2009
2 Area Homes Damaged During Monday Fires
By KENNETH DEAN and BETTY WATERS
Staff Writers
A single mother and her two children lost all of their possessions in a Monday morning fire after an electrical shortage.
Staff Writers
A single mother and her two children lost all of their possessions in a Monday morning fire after an electrical shortage.
And a cat was injured in a house that damaged two rooms in a house fire Monday afternoon.
Smith County Assistant Fire Marshal Marilynn Wilson said fire broke out in a mobile home at 5259 Farm-to-Market Road 757 about 10 a.m.
"The home was a complete loss, but it appears there was more damage in the back of the home than in the front," she said.
Wilson said the family had been having electrical problems and had been using electrical cords to provide electricity to various parts of the home.
A second fire occurred about 4:30 p.m. at 13319 County Road 292, also known as Yancy Lane, according to the assistant fire marshal.
"The fire started from a candle that had burned down through a plastic storage-type container and when the glass on the candle jar broke, it allowed the wax to run down on the plastic and melted it and caused the fire," Ms. Wilson said.
Two rooms in the house owned by Pam Caldwell were heavily damaged from smoke and water, the assistant fire marshal said
Her daughter, Amber Jennings, was home alone and asleep when the fire broke out, Ms. Wilson said.
The fire woke her up and she called 911.
When the assistant fire marshal arrived, the family had taken a pet, a white-and-calico cat named Laverne, to a veterinarian after Emergency Medical Service personnel attempted to revive it.
When the assistant fire marshal arrived, the family had taken a pet, a white-and-calico cat named Laverne, to a veterinarian after Emergency Medical Service personnel attempted to revive it.
"They don't know if she's going to make it," Ms. Caldwell said later.
Friends of the woman who lost everything in the morning mobile home fire said they had set up a fund at Southside Bank for the Elizabeth Thomas family. Anyone wanting to make monetary donations can do so at any branch.
Thomas' co-workers said the daughter wears junior girls' sizes 6 or 7 and a size 8 shoe. The woman's son wears boys' size 7 and a size 3 shoe.
They said Ms. Thomas wears large shirts and a size 12-14 pant and size 10 shoes.
Anyone wishing to donate clothes can call 903-830-0641 or 903-566-2575.
