Mark and Kaleen's fire recovery

At 11:30 Monday night, January 4th, I was woken up by a phone call from an unknown number.  My sister-in-law, Kaleen, was on the phone.  No one could ever be expecting the words that followed:

"Corinne, our house just burned to the ground.  Don't ask any questions, I don't have any answers." 


Mark and Kaleen Stewart have been living on Brookside Drive in Boulder Creek for 14 years.  Their son, Dane, has lived there all his life (he's 10 and in the 4th grade at Boulder Creek Elementary School).  The Stewarts love their home, their neighbors, and their community. 

Mark and Kaleen's home was constantly full of friends and neighbors.  Summer's were filled with barbecues on the patio and outdoor movie nights with the neighbors.  During the winter, the visits moved inside around the table or snuggled on couches playing games, coloring, or watching movies.  Walks with the dogs happened in any and all weather.

A few days after the fire, Kaleen was able to tell me about what happened:

The family was in bed, but not yet asleep.  Kaleen heard noise.  She thought it might be rain.  Then she thought it might be Dane, restless because he was returning to school the next morning after the 2 week winter break.  She got out of bed to investigate and saw flames in the corner of the kitchen.  The fire extinguisher was of no use.  She looked outside and saw that the entire corner of the house outside of the kitchen was on fire and rushed to get her family out of the burning house. 

She told Dane to run.  Their 1 and half-year-old Catahoula Dog, Banjo, was huddled up with Dane on his bed, and he was frightened by the noise.  Their 4-year-old Corgi, Hiccup, lead the way out of the house and up the steps to the gate.  As the family fled, the sounds of the house burning and collapsing were growing louder.  Windows began exploding and the skylights exploded just as they fled the house.  When they gathered on the road above the house, Banjo had not followed them out.

The following morning, I went to the house to begin helping in any way I could.  Wonderful neighbors were also there to lend assistance.  Mark, Kaleen, and Dane had lost everything.  They escaped the house in their pajamas.  They had lost purses, phones, identification, and car keys; all the items you need right away in an emergency.  Over the following hours and days (and into the oncoming weeks and months, I'm sure), other lost items came to mind in waves:  Dane's artwork that decorated the walls; sentimental pieces of furniture; souvenirs from family vacations; pictures.

The biggest loss by far, was Banjo.  I found his body the day after the fire.  I combed the hull of the house looking for him, hoping I wouldn't find him and that we could continue our search for a frightened, lost dog.  Unfortunately, Banjo had run into Mark and Kaleen's bedroom and hid under their bed.  He died of asphyxiation.  We were heartbroken and my brother was devastated. 



The family has been working continuously to get their lives back in order.  They have had little rest and they have so far to go.  The bills are already accumulating. 

The family hopes to rebuild.  This is their home and they don't want to live anywhere else.  In the meantime, the family hopes to continue to reside in the community that they love; to be removed from friends who have been a constant part of their lives at this time would add more to the sadness and stress.  The family needs monetary assistance to make these hopes a reality. 

The day after the fire, a dear friend and neighbor told me, "I don't want Mark and Kaleen to live somewhere else.  Mark and Kaleen are the heart of the neighborhood; they are the neighborhood.  It could never be the same without them."

I spent New Years Eve with Mark, Kaleen, Dane, and a childhood friend of mine and Mark's.  We had a great dinner, talked, played virtual bowling, laughed ourselves silly, and toasted in the new year.  There was nowhere in the world that I felt more welcome and loved.  It wasn't a fancy home, but it was always full of love.  I can't believe that it's gone. 

We will all be so very grateful for any contributions towards rebuilding a house and rebuilding the lives of a family that passionately feels that Brookside Drive is their home.