Two Lodi families reel after destruction from Kettleman Lane fire

Jun. 13--Paul Stovall and his family returned to their home in the 700 block of West Kettleman Lane on Friday morning to survey the damage caused by a two-alarm fire the night before.

Nearly everything had been destroyed and Stovall said he didn't know where his family would be living next. They had been living in the house nearly three years.

"(The property owners) are talking about having the house fixed," he said. "I don't know if they can. Bennett Realty are a great bunch of people. They're giving me my last month's rent back, they're giving me my deposit back. They were here all night with us and helped us try to find something else."

Stovall said he and his wife were at Bible study at a church in Stockton, while their four sons, two 16-year-olds and two 12-year-olds, were in youth group when the fire started. As the family was leaving, Stovall said his cell phone exploded with calls from people telling him the house was on fire.

"The crazy thing is... that's the one night of the week where we're all out of the house," he said. "We loaded up, one of my sons wanted to stay home, and I told him 'no, you're going to youth group.' The firemen said he wouldn't have gotten out."

The Stovalls are currently staying with a friend from church in Stockton while they figure out where they will live next.

Lodi Fire Department crews responded to the report of a house fire between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Shane Langone.

"While units were en route, we noticed a large amount of smoke from a lot of locations around town," Langone said, adding his engine raced down Hutchins Street to get to the blaze.

Fire crews found both floors of the structure heavily engulfed in smoke and flame, with an exposure on the west side of the building near a neighboring duplex, which also suffered significant damage during the blaze.

Flames managed to jump to the roof of an office on the east side of the structure, Langone said, but crews were able to put out about five spots of fire quickly before further damage was done. There was also significant damage to fences in the rear of the property.

"It was a total loss," Langone said of the damage to the home. "There was not a room in the structure that wasn't affected, and with a 3,500 to 4,000-square-foot area, that is a lot of damage and loss. If it had been a windier day, we probably would have had to put out fires in several surrounding structures."

Mutual aid from Stockton Fire Department was requested, which dispatched a truck and fire chief to the scene, Langone said. Crews from the Waterloo-Morada Fire District were also called to the scene, he said.

Crews from Woodbridge Fire and Mokelumne Fire districts filled in at Lodi stations during the fire in the event of another emergency call.

Langone said he left the scene at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, and a Lodi fire engine remained at the home through the night to make sure there were no remaining embers that would have caused a second blaze.

No firefighters were injured, he said.

"A lot of work was done by all the members of our department, and the other departments that were called out," he said.

Josh Oren and his family were inside their unit in the duplex next to Stovall's home when the fire began. He said he was in the restroom when he heard the explosion and saw a large orange flash through the window.

"I told my wife to get the kids out of the house, and I went around to see what was going on," he said. "I saw the back fence was on fire, but on the neighbor's side, so I ran back to see if my wife and kids were OK then I drove them out of there."

Oren took his wife and their two sons, ages 3 and 8 months, to Tamarack Drive and told them to stay in the car with the dogs. He said a group of Lodians immediately began asking her if the family needed anything, and by the time he returned to the scene of the fire, crews were putting the blaze out.

Oren owns the duplex, and said he wasn't concerned about the building as much as he was concerned for his tenants who live next door. Fortunately, he said they were able to get out of the building unharmed as well.

The fire damaged his attic and roof, the latter of which his insurance company said will most likely need to be replaced. Their belongings inside the home were also damaged, not only from the flames, but the water used to put the blaze out, Oren said.

The family will be staying with Oren's parents, who live in town. Oren said he was amazed at the amount of community support the families received at the scene of the fire, as well as on Friday.

Many residents have posted announcements on social media that they are willing to donate clothing and furniture to the Stovall and Oren families.

"It's a testament to Lodi," Oren said. "It's really refreshing to be surrounded by people who want to help. It's restored my faith in humanity."

Both Oren and Stovall credited another neighbor for acting quickly to make sure the two families, along with other neighbors, were out of harm's way.

"I don't know him that well," Stovall said. "I know his first name is Mike, I don't know his last name. I've handed him a beer over the fence, we give him oranges from the tree. He ran into a burning house to see if my kids were inside. That man is a hero, hands down. Thankfully they weren't here, and he didn't get hurt."

The cause of the fire is unknown, Langone said. However, Stovall said he was told by crews Thursday night that it may have started in the backyard, and that his neighbors heard an explosion before it began.

He thought maybe a gas line on the property was the cause, given the fire reached between his house and the duplex behind it.

"It's toasted," he said of the house. "It's stuff. But my family's safe and I'm thankful to God for that. I'm at peace with it. My family's OK."

Oren said he and his wife are weighing their options for a future home.

"I think I'm blessed to have family in town, and I don't feel we're going to be out on the street without support," he said. "I'm just happy my kids are safe," he said. "I'm grateful my family is safe and that my neighbors are safe."

___

(c)2020 the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.)

Visit the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.) at www.lodinews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.