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75 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, August 28, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 30, 2004 Fire victims thank friends, neighbors for offers of help By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune One day after fire destroyed her Ruch home and most of her family’s belongings, Billie Waters was back at work, grateful for friends and neighbors who wasted no time in offering their support. "Everyone has rallied around us," said Waters, who spoke Tuesday by telephone from her Medford business, Art Centre Framing. "There has been a huge outpouring of people volunteering and helping and everything." After work, Waters drove to her family’s property at 3195 Highway 238 to try to recover photographs and other mementos from the smoky remains of the home. When she arrived, several friends were already there. "We’re hoping to find some of those priceless things you can’t replace," Waters said. "I was beside myself yesterday, but it really is just stuff that we lost," she added. "It could have been so much worse — there could have been somebody in there. The hardest part is losing our pets." Advertisement Two cats and a dog perished in the fire, reported at about 2 p.m. A fourth animal, a 15-year-old golden retriever named Roger, was saved when 14-year-old passerby Matthew Matlock ran from his mother’s car to the front door of the Waters’ home, grabbed the animal from inside the home and pulled him to safety. "We’re really grateful to the young man for saving our old dog," Waters said. Waters also thanked Applegate Fire District No. 9 crews for battling the blaze. Firefighters kept flames from spreading to adjacent outbuildings and a herd of llamas penned nearby. "I think the fire department did a wonderful job," she said. "There wasn’t much they could do as far as the house." Fire investigators do not yet know what sparked the blaze, a district spokesman said Tuesday. Inspectors on the scene said they believed it may have started in the home’s living room. For now, Waters and her husband, Matthew, are staying in Medford with a bishop from their church. The couple’s 16-year-old son is being taken care of by friends in Ruch. "She is a wonderful lady and a wonderful member of the community," family friend Christie DeVilleneuve said of Waters. "She’s one of those people who if she knows you need five dollars, she’ll give you five dollars." Waters, who has been a PTA president at Ruch schools and oversees about 150 youngsters on Sundays at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ward in Jacksonville, said her family has had its share of bad luck recently. Her husband was recently laid off from a job he held for 14 years, and was working his first day of a new job Monday when he received a call from his wife informing him of the fire. "It’s been a tough couple of months," she said. "But we’re so appreciative of our friends." A bank account has been set up at Rogue Federal Credit Union for the family. Donations to the Waters Family Fire Fund can be made at any RFCU branch. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities