jebbers
02-26-2007, 09:29 PM
Ok, I was sitting on the couch with my brother and his friend watching Blackhawk Down, when my sister comes down stairs and tell us my unlce's house is on fire. This was around 8:30pm. At first I didn't know what to think, the severity hadn't set in. So my sister and I go to the hospital to go check on our uncle and father. My dad got mixed in because for years he has been trained for situations like this. Well he had moved my cousins' car out of the way so it didn't catch fire. It was right out side the windows where the fire started. He had gotten winded from this and it also doesn't help he has bad breathing to begin with. Then my uncle tried to go back in the house a third time for the cats, but my father tackled him and fought to keep him out of the blaze. And my unlce isn't all that healthy either. While my unlce was in the house the second time he busted a window open with his fists and cut up his hand pretty bad.
It started with a candle. The candle caught a mesh canopy (like mosquito netting), the canopy fell on her bed and just engulfed her whole room. Everything she had worked so hard for in the past two years was destroyed in 30 seconds. My cousin and her mom tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher but it was 20 years old. It failed them. They ran out to a neighbors house and called 911. It was about 10:30 now.
Me and my sister were at the hospital waiting for our father to arrive via ambulance. When it did arrive me and the pastor from the Rez went out to help. My cousin and step-aunt were in with my father. The pastor took my cousin in and I took my step-aunt. While I was walking her in all she could say was "Where are my cats? You have to go back for them. Where are they?" My cousin was distraught over the fact that the fire started in her room. She blamed herself for it. I tried to comfort her by telling her it wasn't her fault. It was a complete accident. We took them in to see my uncle who ended up getting 16 stitches and almost severing a tendon in his finger. Both girls were covered in his blood. Both shivering and both mentally distant. My cousin and unlce got smoke inhalation. My father was just really winded. Around 11pm a police officer arrived and gave my step-aunt her pusre which survived the fire. He told my cousin and step-aunt that none of their 3 cats survived. They cried hard, and long. I tried to comfort them. A lady from the Red Cross showed up at the hospital and got them a hotel stay for 3 days and some money for new clothes and personal affects.
I left the hospital with my sister around 2:30am. Both my uncle and father got to go home. I got dropped off at my parents house. It's closer to my uncle's house. And this morning me and my dad went in to the house to find the bodies of the cats. Two were huddled together on a rug and the third was under my uncles' bed. Nothing could have been done to save them. We removed them from the house so my cousin, uncle and step-aunt don't see them. They asked about them and I told them "They are exactly how you remember them." Which was true. My parents and I took my cousin out to get clothes for them all. She was still distant. She walked around and just grabbed anything. We had to help her out with the selections. After all that was done we did some more errands for them. My cousin left with friends which is what she really needed.
They were floored by how many residents from the Rez were willing to help them out. My mom pulled strings and got them gift certificates to do their laundry, food from Bob Evans and Dunkin Donuts. Where my cousin worked people got donation buckets going. Since the most damage was done her. Her friends took her out shopping. Her boss gave her 300 dollars to spend for clothes and whatever else she might need. But right now all she needs is friends and time with her family. And her birthday is in a week. Some birthday.
Edit-This is what is left of my Cousin's room
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/jebadiah/fire_rachael.jpg
It started with a candle. The candle caught a mesh canopy (like mosquito netting), the canopy fell on her bed and just engulfed her whole room. Everything she had worked so hard for in the past two years was destroyed in 30 seconds. My cousin and her mom tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher but it was 20 years old. It failed them. They ran out to a neighbors house and called 911. It was about 10:30 now.
Me and my sister were at the hospital waiting for our father to arrive via ambulance. When it did arrive me and the pastor from the Rez went out to help. My cousin and step-aunt were in with my father. The pastor took my cousin in and I took my step-aunt. While I was walking her in all she could say was "Where are my cats? You have to go back for them. Where are they?" My cousin was distraught over the fact that the fire started in her room. She blamed herself for it. I tried to comfort her by telling her it wasn't her fault. It was a complete accident. We took them in to see my uncle who ended up getting 16 stitches and almost severing a tendon in his finger. Both girls were covered in his blood. Both shivering and both mentally distant. My cousin and unlce got smoke inhalation. My father was just really winded. Around 11pm a police officer arrived and gave my step-aunt her pusre which survived the fire. He told my cousin and step-aunt that none of their 3 cats survived. They cried hard, and long. I tried to comfort them. A lady from the Red Cross showed up at the hospital and got them a hotel stay for 3 days and some money for new clothes and personal affects.
I left the hospital with my sister around 2:30am. Both my uncle and father got to go home. I got dropped off at my parents house. It's closer to my uncle's house. And this morning me and my dad went in to the house to find the bodies of the cats. Two were huddled together on a rug and the third was under my uncles' bed. Nothing could have been done to save them. We removed them from the house so my cousin, uncle and step-aunt don't see them. They asked about them and I told them "They are exactly how you remember them." Which was true. My parents and I took my cousin out to get clothes for them all. She was still distant. She walked around and just grabbed anything. We had to help her out with the selections. After all that was done we did some more errands for them. My cousin left with friends which is what she really needed.
They were floored by how many residents from the Rez were willing to help them out. My mom pulled strings and got them gift certificates to do their laundry, food from Bob Evans and Dunkin Donuts. Where my cousin worked people got donation buckets going. Since the most damage was done her. Her friends took her out shopping. Her boss gave her 300 dollars to spend for clothes and whatever else she might need. But right now all she needs is friends and time with her family. And her birthday is in a week. Some birthday.
Edit-This is what is left of my Cousin's room
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/jebadiah/fire_rachael.jpg