Help Support Angela and Rodger re-gain stability after fire

Just $1 and Share

On January 9th, the scariest moment of my life happened: our house caught on fire. I had just moved to Michigan to be with my boyfriend, Rodger, 2 days before. His parents moved there in 1986, so needless to say, he has lived there a long time, and his parents passed away long ago. The pipes were frozen again; it happens quite often when it's below freezing temps and strong wind in January. We had a blower outside blowing under the house, just like a thousand times before. Rodger fell asleep sitting up on the bed with his coat and shoes still on, and I was in the kitchen cleaning up and smelled smoke. I started screaming, "Fire!" Rodger woke right up, came running, and went out the side door where it was coming from. I ran to get the big jug of water we had in the bathroom to flush the toilet. By the time I got back to where it started (in about 45 seconds), the fire was in the ceiling. I immediately grabbed the phone, called 911, grabbed the dog and coat, and ran out the door barefoot and half-dressed. It was fully engulfed within minutes. All we had now was what we were wearing.

It's been really tough, staying at a hotel because we had to and could barely pay for that, never mind clothes, toiletries, and food. Everything Rodger made at work (which he went to the next day) went to surviving and not being able to save anything for rebuilding the house. Rodger has been cleaning up the debris by himself. To fully remove the remains, it will cost about $3k with a permit, and the township wants $1k as a bond and will give it back when cleaned up (really?). Equipment rental and so on. So we made the decision to leave the hotel, and I drove back to NH to stay with a friend, and Rodger has been sleeping in the car or on a friend's couch so we can save money to clear the remains of the house. Not having insurance really stinks, but Rodger couldn't afford it after his stroke and heart attack. The township says we can't have a camper there, and now you have to have a foundation, it has to be at least a 1,000 square feet home, and no single-wide mobile homes are allowed on his own land. They are making it so difficult, and I don't understand how they can tell you what to do on your own land. Now his car is breaking down, and it seems like the universe is against us. We are both stubborn, hard-working, and give to others before ourselves, so putting this together is tough for us, but we really need some help to move forward. Anything, even $1, will help us rebuild our future. Thank you, Angela & Rodger