Help repair Teague family's fire damaged home

Help repair the Teague family's fire damaged home





          I was sitting on my couch researching a $300 espresso maker when I got a text from my brother that no one ever expects to receive. "My house almost burned down".  The next couple of hours were filled with emotional phone calls, inquiries with our vet, and a hard conversation between father and son about why the family had to stay at grandpa's house tonight. 

          Wednesday afternoon, my sister-in-law Jennifer left home to pick up my niece Kimberly from school. When she returned home, she opened the door to find a wall of dense black smoke so thick she could not see inches in front of her. The family dog (14 Y/O Ruckus) and new kitten burst out of the door. Their blond fur was black from ash and soot. Jennifer instantly shouted for the kids to get back in the car, scooped the animals up, drove to a safe distance, and called 911.

          My brother Allen Lee, a self-employed mechanic and Jack of all trades, has been working double time trying to recover from the lack of work during the pandemic. Allen is the guardian of our family and extended family and friend’s circle. He cares for both our parents on all aspects and is the "go to guy" for many people. Whether it was giving you a place to sleep, work, pulling your car out of a ditch at 4am, or fixing your car when you could not afford to take it in, Allen has been there for numerous people in ways big and small.

          Jennifer, my brother's wife and companion of 22 years and amazing mother to my two nieces and nephew, has done some great work several local nonprofits such as Family Promise, and United Way. While Jennifer is, for the time being, a stay-at-home mom of three due to my nephew Lee's special needs (Autism). she has devoted her life and career advocating for family/child safety and wellbeing. 

Their three children live with them in this 2-bedroom mobile home. Ruby 3, Kimberly 5, and Lee 9. Lee has struggled the most with the news. My special little guy is struggling with how the smoke has significantly damaged his most cherished belongings like his art work and comfort toys. 


          So far we have no idea how to go about cleaning and removing the strong burn odor from electronics and electronic toys. Likely several will have to be thrown away because they will be damaged by liquid cleaners. Kimmy may not get to keep all her new birthday toys from just this weekend. Lee may not get to keep all his Pokémon cards, dinosaur books, or even his play station. Its hard explaining to them their toys can make them sick even though they are right there.

Once Jennifer called 911, she called my brother (20 minutes away) who called my father who was 5 minutes away. My father raced to their home and managed to put the fire out with an extinguisher from the 1980's. I over herd the fire Marshall tell my emotional brother while I was on the phone with him, if it had been minutes longer the whole mobile home would have likely been engulfed and everything lost.

The fire was located centrally in their kitchen. Upon inspection, the fire Marshall suspects something fell from a high shelf above their electric stove, turning on a burner that ignited the surrounding cabinets, wall, ceiling, and curtains. We learned that this freak accident happens more often than you would think. 

While the destruction from the fire was fairly isolated, the smoke and ash damage is devastating. Everything is black and reeks of smoke making the house unlivable. Spending just 30 minutes in there has rendered me with black hands, a headache, and a cough. 

The plan to clean and rebuild is daunting. Every scrap of fabric, toy and surface area must be washed and placed in storage. Most of the furniture window A/C units and electronics may not be salvageable. Creating a safe and livable home will entail gutting the drywall, insulation, and ceiling. New paint, sheet rock, wiring, a back door, air conditioning unit and a new stove are the priorities to provide a safe environment for the kids. No room in the house was untouched by smoke damage but the kitchen living, and dining room have the most significant damage. 

We estimate this will take 4 to 5 months to complete.

Repairs will include:

·       Placing Ruby in daycare ($800/M) you can’t clean toxic materials with a toddler lol 

·       Washing everything washable at a laundry mat for the sake of time ($150 + est.) 

·       New stove ($300-$600) 

·       New AC/ Heat unit ($400-$600+) 

·       Storage POD $3000

·       Cleaning solutions and supplies (est. $300+)

·       New insulation 

·       New sheet rock

·       New Drywall

·       New fan and fixtures

·       New paint for entire house (est. $200)

·       New back door (est. $500+)

·       Wiring repair ($500+) 

·       Flooring repair (est. $400-$1000)

·       New mattresses for children (est. $1200)

·       And much more repair man stuff I do not know about

Eventually we will go about replacing electronics, toys and other creature comforts like rugs and pillows. Our priority for now is to rehab the environment so that it is safe for everyone.

If you are interested in volunteering on a clean-up crew, email us at [email redacted] or contact Allen and Jen directly by text. Its going to be a hectic couple of weeks so it may take a little bit to get back to you, but I assure you they welcome all help. I plan to make several trips from Houston.

I sincerely hope we can get my brothers family back in their home with the help of or friends, family, and community. I am so incredibly thankful that everyone is safe and unharmed (including the dog and cat) But so devastated for my brother’s family. They need a small miracle to get them through this crisis. I know that any little bit will lessen the burden on this family, and my brother the guardian of my family, “go to guy” for so many. Thank you

 

All the love in the world

 

Brandy