Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 22, 1993 TAG: 9301220067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE SIMPSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FAMILY BLAMES FIRE ON BEDROOM HEATER
Raymond Harris lost the home he was born in to fire Wednesday night. But no one was injured, and for that he is grateful."It could've been 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning and we could've gone out in a body bag," said Harris, 57. "I'm thankful that we got out with nobody hurt."
Still, "it's a weird thing watching everything you've worked for go in 30 minutes," he said.
Harris, a steelworker; his son; daughter-in-law; and grandchild were in their one-story house at 3828 Vermont Ave. N.W. in Roanoke when the blaze started about 11:30 p.m.
When firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed in flames. By midnight, the front porch had collapsed in a heap of charred wood, and flames were shooting out of the attic windows. At the side of the house, blue sparks exploded from downed electrical wires.
Harris said his daughter-in-law, Tammy, had turned on an electric heater to warm the room where her 3-year-old daughter, Maria, was sleeping. But apparently the 10-year-old heater smoked and Tammy tried to turn it off.
"It made a `pop' noise," said Harris' son, Michael. "Smoke just started. Automatically, it caught on fire. I tried to put it out with a blanket."
Harris grabbed two guns, and he and his family hurried outside. Harris' German shepherd barked at the flaming two-bedroom wood house, but was safely in the back yard.
Harris' wife of four months, Anna, returned from work during the fire.
Some neighbors feared for the safety of their homes. One threw water to cool down the white paint on his house.
Harris' grandparents bought the house - which had two rooms at the time - about 90 years ago.
Cincinnati Insurance is calling the gutted home a total loss. Harris and his family are staying with neighbors, but he plans to rebuild.
"You don't like to lose the memories, but you like to have your lives," he said.
Staff writer Stephen Foster contributed to this story.