Couple injured in house fire

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A charred stove stands in front of a Morrisonville home damaged by fire Thursday. (P-R Photo/Michael Betts)

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April 23, 2009

<a href="mailto:avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com">By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG</a> The Press Republican Thu Apr 23, 2009, 09:47 PM EDT

MORRISONVILLE — John Rice had just turned on the stove to fry chicken and walked into another room when an orange glow caught his eye.

Within seconds, he realized flames were erupting inside the kitchen of his Evergreen Street mobile home.

Rice frantically ran to the back bedroom, where Lisa Miller had just settled in for the night, and told her that their brand-new house was on fire.

INJURED

As Miller ran outside, Rice tried to douse the growing flames with a blanket, singing his hands, while Morrisonville and District 3 firefighters geared up for the emergency Wednesday night.

“The smoke was just ungodly, but we got out right away,” Miller said Thursday afternoon as she sorted through the rubble covering their kitchen.

After escaping with minor injuries, the couple waited outside with their two dogs as volunteers arrived to extinguish the flames.

They were later taken to CVPH Medical Center. Rice was treated for burns. Miller was evaluated for a concussion, which she suffered when she slipped and fell while running from the electrical blaze, which appeared to have erupted inside a kitchen wall.

FLAREUP AT NIGHT

Though a portion of their kitchen was charred, the couple returned home early Thursday morning and settled into bed for a few hours of rest.

Miller later woke and detected smoke but assumed the haze was remnants from the fire hours earlier.

But a short time later, a neighbor called after spotting a new wave of smoke drifting from the roof.

Rice and Miller once again fled their home, and firefighters returned to stifle the flames.

The rekindle caused more damage to the kitchen, leaving a large hole in the wall and burned debris covering the floor, counters and nearby table.

‘DEVASTATING’

As they pulled blackened possession onto their front lawn Thursday and waited for an insurance agent to survey the damage, the couple tried to stay positive.

“At least it didn’t get to everything,” Rice said as he looked over his smoke-damaged living-room furniture.

“But this is devastating.”

They were in contact with Red Cross officials Thursday and said they would be staying in a local hotel as they recover.

Though the fires heavily damaged a portion of the home, which they moved into last October, their spirits were strong.

“We have a lot of family and friends, and we can pull through,” Miller said optimistically.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com