Catherine, Jordann & Morgan

Hi, our names are Dan & Patricia Everly. We are raising funds to help our daughter and her two children whom have experienced a disastrous house fire.  Fortunately, our granddaughter (23 y/o) who was home escaped without injury and saved the five family pets.  Below is a description and photos of this ultimate betrayal.

 

Thank you for your concern. Any donation for Cathy & her daughters that you might be able to make would be greatly appreciated.

Dan & Patricia Everly

 

 

Catherine, Jordann & Morgan

On April 21, 2022, Catherine Cook got a phone call at work that turned her whole life upside down. Her daughter Jordann (23 y/o), called to tell Catherine that their house was on fire. Jordann had gotten her younger sister, Morgan (14 y/o), on the bus for school and then returned to her second-floor bedroom to catch a little more sleep before reporting to work later in the day.

 

Unable to get back to sleep, Jordann was watching videos when she heard noise coming from downstairs. When Jordann reached the first floor, she observed enough smoke that she couldn’t see across the room. Jordann leaped to action and went to the kitchen to see if she could extinguish the fire. Jordann was confused as there was no fire in the kitchen. Jordan then followed the popping and cracking noise to the door leading to the basement, she opened the door to fire and smoke. By the grace of God, Jordann did not experience a backdraft situation. Quickly closing the door, she raced back upstairs to get the family pets and her cell phone. As Jordann, fled the house she called 911 to report the fire and then called her mother and stepfather. Firefighters later told Jordann that if she hadn’t gotten out as quickly as she did, she would likely have been trapped inside.

 

The family home was a total loss, including supplies and equipment for Catherine’s daughter, Morgan, who has many special needs and is blind. Lost were Morgan’s braille encoder along with her Optelec Clearview, braille buttons for all Morgan’s clothes, braille games, sensory games and toys, spare mobility cane, magnifier, floor light with magnifier, talking watch, etc.

 

Gone were precious mementos from all three of Catherine’s children, family antiques, clothing, medications – all lost to the fire. Catherine made the best of things and did her best to provide a sense of normalcy for her family while moving from one temporary abode to the next, a total of four times to date.

Then came the second overwhelming shock – Catherine’s husband, Chad, was charged with aggravated arson for allegedly setting the fire intentionally. Catherine is beyond devastated after viewing the evidence. Investigators found video evidence of Cook entering the home, staying inside for six minutes and then exiting the home. Four minutes later, Jordann called 911 to report the fire. The evidence against Cook is damning, but his assertion is that he accidentally started the fire by smoking in the basement, although he is not known to be a smoker. The amount of evidence is undeniable and Catherine filed for a divorce. Catherine and her children are protected by a no contact order at this time.

 

Because Chad is claiming innocence, the insurance company is unable to settle the claim and begin demolition and rebuilding. In the meantime, Catherine, Jordann and Morgan are stuck in limbo, living in cramped temporary quarters, not knowing what the future holds. Catherine could use your help in replacing items lost in the fire, particularly for Morgan.

 

Catherine, whom is also recovering from back-to-back Achilles tendon surgeries, works full-time. However, it is not enough to make ends meet and she earns too much for Morgan to qualify for Social Security or a Medical Card.  Some of Morgan's previous eye medications are not covered through insurance and are paid out-of-pocket. The cost for these two medications is approximately $275.00 per month. In addition, Morgan has multiple specialists in the Columbus, Dublin, and Marion area, most of whom are 60 to 90 minutes away. Catherine is paying out-of-pocket for continued treatment for her Achilles surgeries to overcome her devasting injury, due to insurance hard stop amount of 20 physical therapy appointments. There is also a great need for assistance with bills and necessities. We are, therefore, asking for financial assistance with a goal of $25,000.  

Catherine, Jordann, and Morgan, have all been traumatized as to this sudden change in their lives. Morgan, who has special needs, has had the most trouble adjusting. Catherine and the girls are facing everyday head-on and taking it one day at a time.

Pictures of the fire & the newspaper article are attached. Any donation will be appreciated.

 

Thank you for your concern & generosity.

Woman saves herself and family pets from Washington Township house fire Thursday | News | richlandsource.com

Washington Township man charged with setting own home ablaze | News | richlandsource.com

51 Year Old Mansfield Man Charged With Arson For Setting His House On Fire | WMAN AM & FM (iheart.com)

 

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, OH - Firefighters responded to a house fire at 1065 Timbercliff Drive on Thursday morning, calling for assistance from several different departments to help battle the blaze.

According to Chief Dave Compton of the Washington Township Fire Department, most of the home's occupants were not home at the time, with the exception of one person who was able to escape with the family pets.

"There was heavy fire on the backside of the house. I was the first one on-scene," Compton said. "Everybody was out at that time. The daughter was home...she heard some popping and cracking noises. She was upstairs, she came downstairs and noticed the smoke - grabbed the animals, got out, and called 911."

When other units arrived on the scene, the fire had extended up into the home's attic area. Significant fire and smoke damage could be seen throughout the house, but no injuries or loss of life occurred.

"The home can be fixed," Compton said. "There is no municipal water supply here in this allotment, but we have automatic mutual aid and the departments brought tankers. That greatly helps with the water situation for us."

Six other fire departments also responded to the emergency, including the City of Mansfield, Jefferson Township, Monroe-Lucas Township, Madison Township, Troy Township, and Springfield Township. Over 40 personnel were involved in fighting the fire at the scene.