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Posted by desiree on November 16, 2002 at 12:15:11:
Fire leaves family homeless (11.14.02)
By: Phil Pfuehler November 15, 2002
Often it takes a calamity to occur before we realize how much there is to lose. That same calamity can also show the true meaning of "community."
"When something like this happens, you realize how much caring there is out there," said Chris Bushinski, whose family lost its trailer house to a fire late Friday night, Nov. 1. "We appreciate all the people willing to help, even those who don't have much."
The Bushinski family - mom, dad and three kids - lost all possessions during the blaze. That means clothes, furniture, jewelry, TVs, stereos, VCRs, computer, books, family picture albums and other keepsakes along with two pet iguanas.
Since nobody was home there was no loss of human life.
"I'm very thankful to God that no one was in there and got hurt," said Chris Bushinski, an unemployed mechanic.
Collections for clothing, cash and other items are going full speed at the schools where the Bushinski children attend - St. Bridget, Meyer and Rocky Branch.
"We've had clothes, toiletries, quilts, linen, toys, nonperishable food, cash and other things already brought in," said Sheila Warren, St. Bridget School principal, about the donations, many by church parishioners. "That's the way we are here. Whether it's a teacher, a wealthy family, or a poor one, we help. It's part of our caring community."
St. Bridget's collection for the Bushinski family continues through Friday. Donations are welcome at the school office.
Bushinski said the donations are essential since his personal property insurance will fall about $60,000 short of the family's losses.
Another collection point is EconoFoods, where Chris' wife, Cristie Bushinski, works in customer service.
"There's a coffee can set up here for donations," Cristie said. "The employees are also planning a shower for me once we get a new home. I'm very grateful to all the people who have offered to help, even people I don't know or don't know very well. The number of people who care is really amazing."
Cristie said the attention is a nice distraction. "The only time when it's hard to accept what happened is when I'm alone and left to think about things I've lost that can't be replaced."
Cristie gave thanks to River Falls firefighters "for being so consoling" at the fire scene.
Asst. Fire Chief Bob Schwalen said his crew saw the blaze in Cudd's Court, 1450 S. Wasson Lane, as it turned the corner onto S. Wasson Lane from Cascade Avenue. A neighbor phoned in the fire just after 10:30 p.m.
Flames engulfed the trailer home before firefighters put it out. Schwalen said the living room and kitchen were destroyed by the flames, while the rest of the trailer had extensive smoke damage. The roof also burned through and collapsed.
Chris Bushinski said he and his wife were at a costume party. They went outside for a cigarette when Cristie got a cell phone call from an Ellsworth friend driving by Cudd's trailer court who had spotted a fire. Chris then phoned a neighbor who confirmed the fire was at Bushinski's home.
"There was nothing really to salvage on the inside," he said. "From the outside, especially in back, it didn't look too bad. It's an extremely sick feeling to go through your home and see everything burned, melted and all sooty.
"You never plan on anything like this happening. I was just walking around in circles, wanting to do something but knowing there was nothing to do."
Chris said he lost much valuable hunting and fishing gear, and an old treasured painting from his mother that depicted an ocean fisherman in a rowboat out during a storm.
The Red Cross of Eau Claire furnished immediate help by getting a suite for the Bushinski family at the Country Inn next to ShopKo.
"They were there for us right away," Chris said. "We haven't got anything yet from insurance, but the Red Cross wasted no time. They gave us vouchers for clothing."
While firefighters have yet to determine the fire's cause, Chris said suspicion centers on several "bug bombs" he set off to rid his home of a moth infestation. Because of the bug bombs, the Bushinski family had left their home earlier that day.
Chris said the bug bombs may have ignited a hot light that had been in a terrarium for the iguanas. Chris had placed the iguana light on the floor before he left and covered the terrarium with towels to protect the lizards from the chemical fumes.
While Chris doesn't know if the bug bombs caused the fire, he offered this suggestion: "I'd advise anyone who has a bug problem to get a professional, get an exterminator."
As for all the help he and his family are receiving, he added, "It really eases the pain a bit."
İRiver Falls Journal 2002
