Somersworth family struggling after fatal fire

Aug. 20--SOMERSWORTH -- Dr. Imants Millers is 81, and his wife Grace is 77. In May, when they ought to have been celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary, they were instead mourning the loss of their son and the loss of the home they shared for almost 40 years.

Janis Millers died in the three-alarm blaze on May 22 that also destroyed much of the historic home at 86 South Street.

Imants and Grace's daughter, Aina Millers DiGianni, said there was no smoking allowed in the house so the front porch was deemed the smoking area, with coffee cans full of sand for ashtrays.

"There were big comfy chairs, rockers a little sitting area, that is where the fire originated," Aina said.

The fire originated on the porch, according to the state Fire Marshal's Office.

She said her parents lost their son; they lost their home and most of their possessions in fire and now are forced to fight the insurance company.

Aina said a regular homeowner's policy would have covered their losses and given them a place to stay as they rebuilt their lives, but they no longer had a regular policy.

Last fall, when it came time to renew their homeowner's insurance, the company wanted the electrical brought up to code, replacing all the wiring, and they wanted it done in 30 days, Aina said.

"Because that was not even financially feasible or reasonable, my dad allowed it to roll over into the mortgage and checked with other insurance companies to try to insure the home without doing the electrical work," Aina said. "But each company that he called didn't want to insure the home either."

Aina said he was actively seeking bids to get the electrical work done at the time of the fire.

The mortgage company added an insurance policy on the property but it only covered the structure and not the contents. Aina said the amount of the settlement would not cover the loss. On a fixed income her parents cannot afford both the mortgage and rental at the same time.

"To this day they remain homeless, so they are hiring a private adjuster and attorney to fight for their due," Aina said. "My parents have decided to fight the insurance company to pay out the total covered for the dwelling."

Aina said they need enough to pay off their mortgage and funds to decide what to do with the property.

Aina said it is hard to know that they have to start over. The other family members who were living at the home at the time of the fire are now scattered around the area.

Grace said she really misses have the little ones around. "We have 24 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren," Grace said.

The very large home was built in the 1850s. Grace said she and Imants bought the home in 1976 bringing six children with them.

"This was the first house where they each had their own bedroom," Grace said.

Aina said it was always a home for the wayward.

"My father welcomed anyone who needed a place to stay because of the size of the home," Aina said. "If you were down on your luck, my dad would bring you in, not charge any rent, get you back on your feet, and release you back out into the world."

Aina said her parents have always been deeply involved in the community; Dad was an entomologist for the US Forestry Service. In 1978 he brought soccer into the community and he coached for many years. He did young player development each fall and also brought volleyball into the school system.

"At 81 he is still serving the City of Somersworth on the Conservation Committee and the Site Review Technical Committee," Aina said. "He was also involved in the historical review of Willand Pond.

Grace ran a state-licensed daycare for about 30 years, was a Girl Scout leader for 38 years and did quilting with the teen youth center in South Berwick, Maine, for the past decade. Grace said not being able to sew and work with the teens has been really hard, even the fabrics that were not burned in the fire are smoke-damaged.

Grace said it is very hard for her and her husband who are so used to reaching out to others to be the ones who need help.

Aina set up a special donation account for her parents and is working on a possible fundraising event.

The URL is https://www.youcaring.com/MillersHopeAfterFire and the fund itself is called the Millers Tragedy Fund.

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