Family thankful for help after fire

Dec. 02--Brent Nelson couldn't sleep around 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 23, so he got up and went into his living room to watch television.

That's when he heard a rumbling noise coming from the basement of the house located 2 { miles south of Eldridge that he and his wife, Junette, and their children Lisa Edwards, 14, and Curtis Nelson, 9, had been living in since April 2011.

The rumbling noise Brent heard was a fire that started around a wood-burning stove and went up into the attic.

"I almost thought it was the bearings going out on the furnace fan, but that wasn't running," Brent said.

He went downstairs into the basement and saw a glow above the wood stove inside the chimney area.

Brent said he ran back upstairs, got his wife and son out of bed (the daughter wasn't home), and got them into their vehicle in the garage. Junette backed the vehicle out of the garage away from their house and called 911.

Brent said he got some garden hose out and was attempting to put the fire out, or at least contain it, when there was an explosion in the attic.

"That's when I dropped the hose and said 'I'm done,'" he said.

Brent did a couple more things: he shut off the main valve to the propane gas tank next to the house, and he went back inside the house to grab three coats and his boots.

"I was in my robe and slippers and it was cold," he said. Junette said she was barefoot and had made sure Curtis got out of the house OK.

Jamestown Rural Fire Department Chief Rick Woehl said the fire started in the chimney area above the wood stove. The house was totally destroyed, along with most of the Nelson family's possessions.

Brent and Junette said firefighters with the JRFD were on the scene within 18 minutes of the 911 call.

"They got there quick," Brent said. "It was so cold, they (the firefighters) had to battle that as well."

Junette said one of the firefighters at the scene was Mike Romans, one of Curtis' teachers at Gussner Elementary School.

"He was such as comfort to us," she said.

Brent said all the people who responded to the scene, the firefighters from the JRFD and the Jamestown Fire Department, and the Red Cross did a "remarkable" job. He said the Red Cross provided coffee and refreshments to the firefighters while also helping the family.

Junette said the Red Cross got them a place to stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Jamestown later that afternoon. The relief agency also got them a gift card that the family could use to buy things like shoes, socks and other necessities.

Junette said the owner of the Holiday Inn Express also owns the Cherry Berry frozen yogurt business in town and said he would cover the costs of any meal the family ate in the same building as Cherry Berry. She said the owner also offered them the use of the hotel room indefinitely if they needed it.

The Nelsons said they were fortunate in that a friend of the family who works for a real estate agency in Jamestown was able to find them a three-bedroom house to rent. Brent said workers with ServiceMaster rearranged their work schedules last week to help the couple get the home cleaned up. They also saw a quick response from Aaron's Sales and Lease in getting furniture to the house.

"The response we're getting from everyone, it's just amazing," he said.

Brent said the response from their insurance company has been pretty good. He said homeowners should make sure they have "loss of use" coverage on their home.

"This will cover your costs on a place to stay, furniture rentals, you name it," she said.

Brent said the insurance investigators should be out to inspect their home sometime this week. The couple intend to rebuild their home if possible.

Brent also recommended that people check the smoke alarms in their homes. The couple said they didn't hear the smoke alarms go off until about 45 minutes after the firefighters arrived on the scene. Brent said people should buy the best smoke alarms they can afford.

The past week has been one of thanks for the Nelson family. Junette said the family made sure they went to their church, The Church of the Nazarene, the day after the fire.

"We knew we needed to thank God for being alive and all the help we had received," she said.

The church let the family host a birthday party for Curtis on Saturday in its Teen Center.

Brent's employer, Butler Machinery, and Junette's employer, Easter Seals Goodwill, both gave the couple the week off after the fire so they could get their living arrangements made. Coworkers have taken up collections of money and goods to help the family.

Junette said Jamestown Middle School, where Lisa goes to school, held a fundraiser for the family last week, and Gussner Elementary School will hold a fundraiser this week. She said teachers and counselors from the schools have been taking Lisa and Curtis out shopping for clothes and other items as well.

"Everyone has been very generous," Junette said.

Brent and Junette will return to work today and the children will be back in school.

"We've got to get back into a routine of work and school," Brent said.

The couple said they will never forget the compassion and generosity the community has shown their family in their time of need.

"I thank God for my family, you hold your children a little tighter when you hug them after something like this," Brent said. "I thank the Red Cross, the firefighters, the hotel owner, everyone who has helped us out."

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Sun reporter Chris Olson can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by email at colson@jamestownsun.com

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