Denny Road Fire
Donation protected
Thank you for taking time to read our story. We are Chris McMunn, Hannah Gardner, Elliot Gardner, Mel Paridy, our dogs Max, Mia, Murphy and our cats Roro and Nori.
Sunday night May 6th we got one of the worst calls we could get being out of town. Our great friend/house sitter Tom called and said our basement was in flames, the fire department was on their way, and asked us to think about what belongings we wanted from inside.
Our first concern was our pets. They all made it out safe. Though Roro, our household recluse, had to be rescued by a brave fireman. She took in some smoke, but the vet said other than smelling like burnt plastic she's perfectly healthy.
So we need to again say a big thank you to Tom for being there and keeping everyone safe. After Tom's first initial call there wasn't much more information. All he knew was our basements on fire and the first responders were taking care of it. Three fire districts showed up and had to use over two tanks of water to put out the fire.
In the end the firemen believed the fire originated from one extension cord not connected to anything. Here we would like to thank all the first responders that showed up to save our house, our pets and what was left of our belongings. Especially the gentleman who saved Roro.
We were told our house was condemned, unlivable and would have to pass an inspection before it could be reoccupied. So after a restless night sleep and a four hour car ride home we got to examine the damage.
The basement was destroyed. Fire and water damage had decimated everything. All of Elliot's clothes, books, pictures, tv, stereo, Xbox One, couches, walls and what feels like a million other possessions. In the kitchen smoke damage painted everything black. It looked like a horror movie or the upside-down from stranger things. Our refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster oven, pressure cooker, and our favorite, the air fryer were melted or too saturated with soot to be restored.
From the outside the house "looks" fine but will have to be gutted to get the smell of smoke out. All the furniture will have to be thrown out along with most of Hannah's, Mel's and Chris's clothes and belongings. We can't get the smell out and carcinogens could be hiding in our mattresses. We will need to replace clothing, toiletries, mattresses, small appliances and all of our other lost items and furniture.
All donations will go directly to restoring our lives to some kind of normality. We've all bunked up with family, which is a blessing and a curse.
We have started cleaning what we can and demoing the basement and kitchen. We would like to get as much done before having to call outside help from a contractor.
The whole house needs to be rewired. The basement will need new framing, drywall, windows, plumbing, flooring, and lighting. The kitchen will need new walls, ceiling, windows, doors, cabinets, counter tops and appliances. The bathroom needs drywall, flooring, plumbing and a toilet. Much of the house will need fresh drywall and lots of elbow grease.
We are eternally grateful and appreciative of you even considering a donation or sharing our cause. We are normally too prideful to take let alone ask for handouts, but our backs are really against the wall. We can get our lives back to normal. All we're asking for is a little help from you. Thanks again. We'll be posting our progress as we go!
Sunday night May 6th we got one of the worst calls we could get being out of town. Our great friend/house sitter Tom called and said our basement was in flames, the fire department was on their way, and asked us to think about what belongings we wanted from inside.
Our first concern was our pets. They all made it out safe. Though Roro, our household recluse, had to be rescued by a brave fireman. She took in some smoke, but the vet said other than smelling like burnt plastic she's perfectly healthy.
So we need to again say a big thank you to Tom for being there and keeping everyone safe. After Tom's first initial call there wasn't much more information. All he knew was our basements on fire and the first responders were taking care of it. Three fire districts showed up and had to use over two tanks of water to put out the fire.
In the end the firemen believed the fire originated from one extension cord not connected to anything. Here we would like to thank all the first responders that showed up to save our house, our pets and what was left of our belongings. Especially the gentleman who saved Roro.
We were told our house was condemned, unlivable and would have to pass an inspection before it could be reoccupied. So after a restless night sleep and a four hour car ride home we got to examine the damage.
The basement was destroyed. Fire and water damage had decimated everything. All of Elliot's clothes, books, pictures, tv, stereo, Xbox One, couches, walls and what feels like a million other possessions. In the kitchen smoke damage painted everything black. It looked like a horror movie or the upside-down from stranger things. Our refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster oven, pressure cooker, and our favorite, the air fryer were melted or too saturated with soot to be restored.
From the outside the house "looks" fine but will have to be gutted to get the smell of smoke out. All the furniture will have to be thrown out along with most of Hannah's, Mel's and Chris's clothes and belongings. We can't get the smell out and carcinogens could be hiding in our mattresses. We will need to replace clothing, toiletries, mattresses, small appliances and all of our other lost items and furniture.
All donations will go directly to restoring our lives to some kind of normality. We've all bunked up with family, which is a blessing and a curse.
We have started cleaning what we can and demoing the basement and kitchen. We would like to get as much done before having to call outside help from a contractor.
The whole house needs to be rewired. The basement will need new framing, drywall, windows, plumbing, flooring, and lighting. The kitchen will need new walls, ceiling, windows, doors, cabinets, counter tops and appliances. The bathroom needs drywall, flooring, plumbing and a toilet. Much of the house will need fresh drywall and lots of elbow grease.
We are eternally grateful and appreciative of you even considering a donation or sharing our cause. We are normally too prideful to take let alone ask for handouts, but our backs are really against the wall. We can get our lives back to normal. All we're asking for is a little help from you. Thanks again. We'll be posting our progress as we go!
Fundraising team (2)
Chris McMunn
Organizer
Crestwood, MO
Hannah Renee
Team member