Renting in Colorado Springs - Get Renter's Insurance

Renter's Insurance - Nothing Bad Will Ever Happen - Think Again!

Last night I signed into Facebook. I see a post from a friend of mind stating her house went on fire on Christmas Eve. I thought she was kidding. She was not unfortunately:

This is only a sampling of the destruction. They moved into the house 7 weeks ago. My friend told me she was GOING to get renter's insurance. Going, going, GONE! Hindsight is 20/20. Nothing bad ever happens to ME. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

They are now living with their son in his 2 bedroom apartment in Upstate New York. She has 6 kids and her husband.

Here is the article about this fire (names and location have been changed to protect their identity)

A devastating Christmas Eve chimney fire has left one family without the comfort of their home to celebrate the holiday. The Fire Department arrived to the scene of ABC Street within minutes after the 8:30 p.m. emergency dispatch Thursday evening, arriving to find flames bursting from the two-story home’s rooftop. “The fire was already vented through the roof when we got there,” said the Fire Chief. “Fortunately, we didn’t have to do any roof operations because there was a metal roof and it was pretty slick.” According to the Fire Chief, the inferno was extinguished within 10 minutes after arrival and the house was then “overhauled” — meaning the ceilings and walls were opened up to ensure the fire was not spreading internally. No one was injured in the blaze.

The family, including four children age 9 to 16, were busy working in the charred home on Christmas Day as they tried to clean up what they could in the wake of the destruction. “We’re going to be staying at my son’s home in Saugerties,” said Jane Smith, matriarch of the destroyed household, as she packed shopping bags full of groceries from the refrigerator. According to Smith, the fire was started by embers that escaped from the fireplace smokestack, which runs through a central location of the home. “We looked up and saw sparks,” Smith recalled as they sat around the living room. “We saw that the ceiling and the roof were glowing red.” The children were upstairs in their rooms when Smith and her son Bob Smith noticed the burning roof from the ground level living room. The kids were playing with gifts they were allowed to open early. “I heard a crackling but thought it was rain or something,” said young Alice, who was upstairs playing when she heard the noise.

The family quickly evacuated the home before firefighters arrived. Fortunately, everyone made it out unscathed but many of the children’s gifts were lost among the charred remains. The roof and an upstairs bedroom were completely destroyed by the fire but Smith said the family is still blessed for making it unhurt. “Every time we start to feel bad about it, I thank God it was earlier, we weren’t asleep and that we got out without anyone getting hurt,” she said. Smith also said they are currently renting the home, did not have renter’s insurance, and will likely not recover what was lost in the blaze, which included of the children’s shoes and clothing. The homeowner, Michael Brown, intends on rebuilding the home so the family can move back in. The Fire Chief offered to have the American Red Cross provide temporary shelter to the family but they turned it down so that their two dogs won’t have to be put in an animal shelter. “I didn’t want the kids to be without their dog for Christmas,” said Smith.

So, do you still think nothing bad will ever happen to YOU or your loved ones?

My friend was lucky that all of them were not asleep or I would be going to some funerals.

Get renter's insurance. It's cheap. Have I made myself clear? I hope I have.

 

Jackie Connelly-Fornuff
Coldwell Banker Residential
Babylon, NY 11702
Direct: (631) 274-1937
Cell: (631) 703-0201
Email: Jackie.Connelly-Fornuff@cbmoves.com
Website: www.longislandrealestatelady.com
Blog: http://jackieconnellyfornuff.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

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