Family flees fiery home - February 23, 2006

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2006-03-08

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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 23, 2006 Firefighters battle a blaze Wednesday in the 2000 block of Table Rock Road. A woman was injured trying to fight the fire when it started in a closet. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Family flees fiery home Quick-moving flames devour most of their belongings; grandmother injured fighting fire By CHRIS CONRAD Mail Tribune Angela Wilson had little reason to be concerned when her daughter called at work, telling her about a small fire at their house. The girl’s words hadn’t prepared her for the chaos she found when she arrived at her Medford home in the 2000 block of Table Rock Road Wednesday afternoon. Brown smoke and flames poured out of windows while a rescue team attended to Wilson’s mother in the front yard. Nearby, Wilson’s four children, ages 3 to 12, stared at the flames that were gutting their home. "There wasn’t time to salvage anything," Wilson said. "I don’t understand how it got so big so fast." "It’s an old house," said her husband, Kevin Gardner. "It’s all dried up." Advertisement Gardner, who lives in an apartment complex two blocks from the house, was working on a car when a friend told him about the fire. "I just dropped everything and ran," he said. Gardner said he was willing to try to grab some belongings from the home but the fire crews told him the roof was near collapsing. "We should’ve salvaged something for my kids, but now they’re just letting it burn all the way," he said. Wilson, 30, learned that the fire began in a walk-in closet where Janet Mason, her mother, had been rearranging things by candlelight. Somehow, the candle burned some items and the fire spread quickly from there, she said. Mason was burned trying to fight the flames, Wilson said. She was transported by ambulance but Medford hospitals showed no record of having admitted her. Relatives and neighbors comforted the family as television crews filmed the action from the street. Wilson seemed angered by the media attention. "It must be fascinating watching people get put out of their house," she said. The column of smoke rising from the home was visible from Central Point and Medford. The house, which the family had occupied since October, was a total loss, Wilson said. All of their belongings — clothes, school supplies, furniture, toys — were either torched or damaged by water. "All my kids got is the clothes on their back," Gardner said. Medford fire crews remained on the scene until late Wednesday to ensure the fire didn’t rekindle. Police blocked traffic on Table Rock Road to make space for fire crews. The road was reopened later in the evening. The family has no homeowners insurance. Wilson said her children would stay with family Wednesday night. After that, she had no answers. "Only us, that’s all we got," she said. Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail Family flees fiery home ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home  | Local News  | Sports  | Business  | Obituaries  | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives  |  Site Map  | Community  | Classified   Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Debt Consolidation Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Advertisement s Advertisement