Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Fire

On January 15, 2012 life in the Jex house changed forever. 
Our house caught on fire. 

Here is the story:
I woke up at 5:00am to a weird noise above us, I asked Mike if he knew what the noise was. Our first thought was it was my dad getting ready to head to church meetings, because this would be a normal Sunday event. However after just a few seconds I sat straight up and told Mike that I thought we were being robbed. He Sat up and we listened for another second or so, the noise was getting louder and there was a lot of comotion going on up stairs. Suddenly we heard some popping sounds, and Mike jumped out of bed, grabbed his bat, and stated that he thought my dad was shooting someone. We both jumped up  that's when we smelled it, Mike shouted at me that the house was on fire, we threw some pj's on and swung open our bedroom door, only to see my mom running down the stairs to tell us to get out! We  ran up the stairs and out the door, when we got out side the front door we could see tons and tons of black smoke poring out of the roof and garage doors. We ran across the street and that is when the flames started to sore out of the garage doors. All 5 of us and shadow, that were in the house got out safely.

When we arrived outside there were about 5 people standing on our lawn, the Oakeys who live down the street, and their friends. They were standing there in swim wear and nothing else. They had been having an all night birthday hot tub party and could smell something weird and ran around our neighborhood trying to find where the smell was coming from. When they saw it was our house they called 911 and then started to knock on the front door and Morgans window(we didn't hear any of this because we were already running around). When we ran across the street we started pounding on our neighbors house, waking them up. Soon we had neighbors from all over our neighborhood standing across the street with us, watching as our house not so slowly was burning down. It seemed like forever until the fire trucks got to our home, and then it seemed like they did nothing. We all were sort of expecting a movie type scene, with lots of running around and water being sprayed from long yellow hoses. It was nothing like that.
after the fire was put out.
 What we didn't know is they were actually working, and hard. We didn't know it at the time but the back side of the house was worse off, and most of the commotion was going on back there. It took several hours before everything was out, people were kind enough to lend us blankets, coats, hats, gloves, etc because it was freezing out side. My parents, Mike and I stood on the sidewalk and watched for several hours. Morgan went to a neighbors home to get away from everything that was happening. Lots happened from between 7am-12pm, including us being able to go into the house to grab the necessities we would need for the next few days. That was crazy! I was not, and still am not able to go into the house due to all of the smoke fumes. I sat on the front lawn holding Shadow. The poor dog was having a MAJOR anxiety attack. We had several neighbors their helping us get what we needed out of the house, including food out of the fridge and freezers because the power had been cut during the fire. As a side note, as grateful as I am to have my husband, it is extremely funny to have a boy pack what he thinks you need. I came away with almost my entire sock drawer and no shirts. Love that boy!!!
what was remaining of dads truck.
 our neighborhood was so kind to us, several families took our laundry home to wash and dry it so we would have something to wear besides pj's. We are so grateful for each and every one of the people that served us that dreadful day!
the door from the house, going into the garage.
 There was a lot of damage done because of the fire. The entire garage burned entirely, along with everything single thing in it. The back garage door, leading to the backyard had burned off, sending the fire up the house and into the attic. The siding on the house is ruined as well as the roof and all the brick on the home. When the firemen got into the house they needed to see if the fire was up in the attic in the house, so they had to rip down the ceiling in the bathroom, laundry room, and dining room.We have been told that the fire started on the extension cord plugged into my dads truck. We don't know for sure, and never will.
laundry room ceiling
1/2 bathroom in the back of the house.
dining room ceiling/wall

back of the house.
We have been living in a hotel downtown for the past two weeks. Life has been crazy, we have had to get the house packed up with items needed for the next several months, all of our fabric items got shipped off to Boise to be cleaned, and the restoration company has been boxing up the remaining items in our home to be taken to their warehouse to be cleaned and stored until we can get into a rental home. The back half of the house through the garage will have to be demolished, the entire upper level of the house will have to be taken down to the studs and rebuilt, and the basement is still in debate. The basement for sure will need new paint, and carpet; but depending on the electrical wires, wither they got to a certain degree or not will determine if the basement has to go down to the studs or not. 

We have been told that we will not be able to live in our home again until July or August, so we have a long road a head of us. What a way to start 2012, right? We are grateful to our Father in Heaven for allowing us to get out safely, and for the majority of our home to be untouched by fire. We have a lot to be sad about right now, and have all had our moments/days but we also have a lot to be thankful for! We are trying to stay positive, but it may not always happen. I will keep you updated as we go along in this journey.

6 comments:

Stacie Couch said...

Wow! Those pictures are devastating! I wish I could be there to hug you! Keep me posted on how things work out. Love you!

thecuteone said...

I'm glad you all got out okay and that no one got hurt. I hope rebuilding goes fast.

Brenna

Brittany Pickett said...

That is such a scary story!! I am so glad you guys got out safely.

Idaho Reids said...

oh my goodness! That is so scary! Where are you all gonna live until your house is fixed? Renting another house? I'm so sorry! let me know if there is anything i can do!

Mindee said...

Meg I didnt know this happened!!!! Serves me right for not checking your blog often. Im so glad your family and you got out OK, and that everyone is alright! On the other hand, im so very sorry about your house, what a devastating event to happen..that is awful and so sad. I hope your new house gets done quick so you guys can move in and be comfortable! Im thinking about your family!

karly from [kar[+]wade] said...

oh my! i head about this, but had no idea it was this intense! gahhh. brings back so many memories of my mother and her potatoes! Living in a hotel isn't as fun as it sounds huh? Glad you all are safe! Come hang out with us, i want to hear the whole story!
-kar