Document text
After the fire, couple keeps the faith photo by Bob Pennell Rick and Sharon Sewell return Tuesday morning to their West Evans Creek home north of Rogue River. The home, where they lived for 29 years and raised a family, was burned to the ground Monday evening in a fast-moving fire that burned a neighbor's home and spared another. Sharon said she was happy no one was hurt, adding, "We're Christians. We know our treasure is in heaven and not on earth." Rick agreed, saying that "this is all material stuff. I'm at peace." From miles away, woman could tell her home was in trouble By J.T. BUSHNELL Sharon Sewell saw the smoke while driving home from Bible study Monday evening. And in her car, miles away, she knew. She knew to worry about her two dogs, her cat, her lovebird and hamster and baby duck. The doors to her home two miles north of Rogue River were closed and locked. She knew to worry about the family heirlooms that had been funneled to her home through the years: the antique player piano, dining room table, sewing machine, china, oil paintings, stoves, beds - everything that represented her family's history. She worried about the home were she had lived for 29 years. She and her husband, Rick, had bought it when it was only a shell. They finished the home themselves, starting by attaching insulation to the roof and the walls with clothespins and affixing a kitchen sink to a set of two-by-fours. Sharon's 15-year-old daughter, Katie, sat in the passenger seat of the car, and Sharon did her best to remain calm for the sake of her daughter. But inside, the knowledge pained her. She had prepared herself for the sight by the time she pulled into her driveway and saw the 35-acre blaze advancing toward the rear of her home. She tried to run into the house to save her small pets, but fire officials stopped her as the flames began to creep up one wall. They told her the fire was going to wrap around them and that she needed to evacuate. She turned around immediately. Sharon ran to her neighbor's house 100 feet away, where 12-year-old Jonathon Shonk was wetting the roof with a sprinkler attached to a garden hose. After ordering him down, she forcefully pulled him into her car, called his dad and drove away. Sharon's neighbors had saved her two dogs. The other animals died as her house burned to the ground. The next morning, Sharon and Rick stood over the charred remains of their home and possessions as firefighters continued to hose down the smoky ashes. A nearby home owned by Conrad Hoff also was burned to the ground. Standing there among singed trees and her family, Sharon said she felt torn between two emotions: pain and joy. "I feel a lot of joy in knowing that no one was hurt," she said, looking over her shoulder at the black debris. "We're Christians. We know our treasure is in heaven and not on earth." Her husband was relatively upbeat as he eyed the ashes. "I finally know what it's like to be homeless," he said with a soft smile. "But this is all material stuff. I'm at peace." The Sewells and their two children stayed with Sharon's sister in Grants Pass on Monday and Tuesday night. They're not sure where they'll go. Their home was insured, and they plan to build another but don't yet know where. The Sewells' niece, Jennifer Torres, accompanied the family to the burned home Tuesday morning. She had flown from Massachusetts in late June to attend her sister's wedding, held four days ago. Sharon made the cake. Torres, 26, said she was glad she could be there to support her aunt and uncle. "It's pretty sad - I grew up in that house," she said. "They've lived there my whole life ... since three years before I was born." She also pointed out what had been a small building where the Sewells home-schooled their children. She remembered how the Sewells' 14-year-old son, Patrick, reacted to its destruction: "He looked at it and said, 'There goes all my hard work.' " Margaret Rice, Sharon's sister, has set up an account at Southern Oregon Federal Credit Union to help the Sewells through the disaster. To assist the Sewells, drop off food or clothes at the Grants Pass branch of the credit union. Those who wish to donate money can make deposits in the Sewell fire fund. Reach reporter J.T. Bushnell at 776-4487. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.