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House demolished after fire
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Friday, August 8, 2008 11:07 PM EDT
Argus-Press Photo by Anthony Cepak: John Fisher, owner of Fisher Construction, watches as the house at 1901 Juddville Road is demolished after it was destroyed by fire in July.
RUSH TWP. - Tears ran down Tammy Phillips' cheek as bulldozers toppled her house that was destroyed by fire a month ago.
“This was going to be our retirement home and it was my husband's dream home...We were heartbroken, ” Tammy said. “We hadn't even been here a year yet and we had already put over $26,000 into it.”
An overheated electrical circuit caused the fire.
“I guess I am looking at this like it is a new beginning today,” Phillips' husband Thomas said. “I guess that's the only way you can look at it. It's gone; everything is gone.”
Not only was it the Phillips' dream home, but the house, located on West Juddville Road, was historic. It was built in 1885.
“When I was driving home, I thought there was an accident because all I could see were fire trucks,” Tammy said. “As I was getting closer, then I thought it was one my neighbors' houses on fire. And then I got up to the corner and I just lost it. I was like, ‘That's my house! That's my house! That's my house!”
Almost all of their belongings were destroyed, but no one was injured. Thomas said he was particularly thankful because their grandchildren spend the night at their house a couple days a week, but were not there when the fire occurred.
“The whole home was newly rewired, but it still had some old wiring with it,” Tammy said. “And apparently it was too much on a circuit.”
Tammy said she could smell a strange odor the day before the fire, but she and her husband attributed to it being an old house.
“Evidently, that is common with electrical fires,” Tammy said. “I actually stopped on my way home to pick up some airfresheners to put in the basement. And then I came home to this.”
After the fire July 7, Thomas and Tammy had hopes of still salvaging the home. But the fire rekindled the next morning and the house became a total loss.
“I thought maybe we could save it. I mean, we were talking about a historical house that is over 120 years old,” Thomas said. “When we finally found the house we thought, ‘This is where we are going to stay. You can bury us in the back-end of this place.'”
For now, the Phillips' are living in a trailer, that was provided by State Farm Insurance, on the property. They are planning on building a new house where the old one stood. However, they said it would be too expensive to build their new home in the same style as the old one.
“My neighbors have really been great I would like to personally thank them all,” Thomas said.
Fisher Construction was hired to handle the demolition and excavation. John Fisher, the owner, said it would take about two day to finish the job.
- Contact Michael Peterson at 725-5136 extension 223 or mpetersonarguspress@gmail.com.