Tipped kerosene heater leaves Canton family homeless for holidays

CANTON Jessica Claw said she was just about to go to sleep when her fiance noticed the garage was on fire.

The blaze ripped through her garage, destroying the vehicle inside and two parked outside before it began to spread through the home she shared with her father, fiance and two children.

Firefighters called at 7:56 p.m. Dec. 13 to 1204 48th St. NW found the ranch-style home engulfed in flames, Acting Battalion Chief Doug Lewis said the next day. The flames spread west to another home and the power lines were down, but all of the residents were already out of the house by the time firefighters arrived.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by a kerosene heater that had tipped over in the garage, said Capt. Derek Paige, who heads the Canton Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau. The fire has been ruled an accident.

It was the first of four blazes Canton firefighters fought Dec. 13-14.

The fires affected at least 11 homes, including 1925 Hammond Ave. SW, 723 Lawrence Rd. NE and 211 Cole Ave. SE in Canton Township just beyond the Canton border.

Firefighters continued to investigate those fires on Monday and they asked that anyone with information call investigators at the Fire Prevention Bureau at 330-489-3420.

They know what caused the first fire, the one on 48th Street NW.

Claw home

Jessica Claw said two cats - Ace, 12 years old, and Kilo, 4 - died in the blaze that destroyed her family's home.

Recovering from a surgery, she had just laid down to take a nap as her fiance Thomas Weisser finished cleaning in the garage.

Claw said he came into the home, talked to their son a few minutes and then started to address the laundry. When he and his son headed for the basement for a workout session, Weisser noticed a light flickering in the garage. He opened the door and, "That whole corner of the house was on fire," Claw said.

Weisser tried to put it out with about three buckets of water before he realized his efforts were in vain, she said, adding that she alerted her father and the teens that the house was on fire.

"I (saw) it from the kitchen and ran and got my dad out of his bedroom," she said. "Thomas was trying to throw buckets of water on it to put it out. After his third bucket, he knew it wasn't going out."

But her father and Weisser kept reentering the home. Claw said her father was trying to get to his car keys and his wallet.

"Thomas had to run back in and get him out again," she said.

Claw said she watched as firefighters struggled to save the home where she lived since her parents' divorce 27 years ago.

"The fire spread through the house and the soot.. It melted everything."

Assistance

The American Red Cross since has helped the family find temporary housing at a local hotel, but that stay will end Sunday. Other charitable organizations have had trouble due to COVID-19 when it comes to helping the family find a more permanent residence until the house can be rebuilt, Claw said.

"We've called the homeless hotline, Stark Metro Housing, Salvation Army... There's nothing they can do. Or there's a waiting list. I've reached out to a bunch of churches...," she said.

Plain Local Schools stepped up, and the GlenOak Choral Music Department created a GoFundMe account for the Weisser Family House Fire.The fundraiser helped the family get a car.

Claw said her father's mortgage company also provided for enough insurance to cover the structural damage and her father wants the house rebuilt, although their belongings were not covered.

"So now it's just a process of finding somewhere to live until then," she said.

Claw said she wants to find a place that will keep her children in the Plain Local Schools District "because the schools and our community have done so much to help us.

"I couldn't have asked for such unity! They brought us food and clothes."

The family still has to pay the mortgage on the burned home, Claw said, adding that her father is retired, and that she and her fiance are currently unemployed.

"Now it's just a struggle of finding where to stay. Because of COVID, no one's moving or doing anything. We're trying to find a range that's in our budget. To find something around $700-$1,000 in rent is very difficult."

The family will be able to stay in the hotel through Christmas.

But come Sunday, "We don't know yet," she said.

"I just have faith in God and he's been showing me miracles. I know we currently don't have a place to live, but I know He's going to find us something."

Claw asked that anyone with information about a potential temporary home contact her via email at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Tipped kerosene heater leaves Canton family homeless for holidays

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