ADMS Program Assistance for Phil Bryant

The ADMS Program is raising money to support our teammate, Phil Bryant, who was recently impacted by a loss of property due to a fire. Here's Phil's story ...

"On Monday morning (4/13/2020) around 3:30, being the old man that I am, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom. While returning to my room the bad weather alert on my phone sounded out. Right after that, the lights flickered and went dark. Suddenly, the wind and rain stopped. It became eerily quiet. I immediately got my son out of bed and we took shelter in the hallway. From that vantage point we could see the windows in the living room and dining room. The entire world went bright blue, the house shook and there was the unmistakable sound of an arc flash. (My son later said it sounded like a blender) I could smell the burning smell of an electrical fire. I told Drake we had to get out because our house was on fire. I turned towards my bedroom and saw smoke and flames coming up through the floor. As we headed for the door I instructed him to dial 911 while I grabbed some pants from the hamper when we passed the laundry room. In this short amount of time (maybe 3 minutes) the house was full of smoke as it flowed from the floor and the ceiling. 

We got outside and through years of planning our emergency exit strategy (Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts) we went to our meeting place without thinking about it and waited for the fire trucks to arrive. The rain was coming down in buckets. We were scared cold and wet but we were together and alive. 

The firemen arrived about the time the flames reached a height of 20 feet. Trucks responded from three stations. One truck was delayed due to road being blocked by fallen trees. There was still a tornado out there beating the heck out of the county. 

Once the fire was out, a firefighter took me in to see the damage. My bedroom and it’s contents were a total loss. Same for the hallway and bathroom. My son’s room had damage to the ceiling and one wall but much looks salvageable. The living room was about 70% ruined. The rest of the house saw only smoke or heat damage. So far we guess the home is about 60% lost. It could have easily been far worse. 

Fast forward to today (4/14) - I was on site with a fire restoration crew assessing damage when one of the guys came to me and said I think we have a second fire! My heart sunk. He saw a flash of light and smoke and you could smell it as it got stronger. I knew we had no electricity at the house because the primary line feeding my house was on the ground de-energized. However, crews were working in the area and they unknowingly energized the line setting the woods beside my house on fire! I once again called 911 to dispatch fire crews to my address.  Crazy huh?

Now, on to this part. The outpouring of support from my Duke family has been incredible. My community has been so eager to help as well. Today our friends at GE contacted me said they want to help me and Drake. Today I have spent hours crying both tears of sadness and tears of joy. To feel this level of support is unbelievable. 

 Thank you for the texts, the calls and emails. We will have struggles in the near future but we will make it. "