WILKINSON — The Evans family was fast asleep early Monday morning when they were awakened around 1 a.m. by blaring fire alarms.
As soon as Jennifer and Michael Evans smelled the smoke, the couple knew immediately the family was in trouble and needed to get out of their house, Jennifer said. They woke up their three children, grabbed the dog and their bird and made it safely outside. Then, they watched in horror as their home of 15 years burned.
“My husband just started saying ‘come on, come on, come on, the house is in flames,’” Jennifer said. “It was one of the scariest things that we’ve ever gone through.”
The fire started on an outside deck on the front side of the home, in the 200 block of North Station Street. Capt. Matt Decker from the Wilkinson Volunteer Fire Department said it appeared to be caused by a discarded cigarette. Decker said the fire quickly spread to the interior of the home, causing major damage. The blaze took about 2½ hours to extinguish.
“It started outside and then burned up the siding and into the attic,” Decker said. “There is smoke damage throughout, but the damage was to the deck outside, the front of the home, the attic and living room.”
Jennifer said she is thankful that she and her husband were able to get their three children — Breena, 16; Shaylee 12; and Daygen, 5 — out of the house in time. The children attend Eastern Hancock schools.
“I’m just thankful because as soon as I saw the flames, we just scooped the kids up and got out of there,” Jennifer said. “There was a lot of smoke and flames.”
The family sleeps in the back part of the home, and Jennifer noted had they not had working smoke alarms, their story might be very different.
“I know those smoke alarms saved our lives,” she said. “If we hadn’t had them, I don’t think we would be here.”
While the family watched their home and belongings burn, they learned the family goldfish, which their son had picked up at the Hancock County Fair, survived the fire.
“I don’t know how hot his water got, but he did survive,” Jennifer said. “Learning that brought a smile to our faces during a really rough time.”
While final cost of damages has not been determined, the family is concerned the house is a total loss and will more than likely need to be rebuilt from the ground up.
In the meantime, they’re looking for a rental home big enough for all of them and could use some help with clothing or donations to begin replacing what was lost. They’ve spent nights in a family camper, where Jennifer said she’s had the chance to hug on her children a lot more than normal.
“The kids have lost a lot, but this is our home, and we eventually want to be back in the same spot,” Jennifer said.
Friends of the family have set up a fundraising account at www.gofundme.com titled, “Any Help for a Eastern Hancock family,” where they are hoping to raise $10,000 to help the family deal with expenses.
Michael is a contractor, and Jennifer works as a waitress in nearby Knightstown. She said they both will continue to work hard to get life back to normal for the children as soon as possible.
“We are so thankful and have a huge support system here,” Jennifer said. “We really haven’t had a lot of time to think about everything because I think we’re still all kind of in shock.”
Decker thanked first-responders from the Shirley Volunteer Fire Department; Charlottesville Volunteer Fire Department; Green Township Fire Department and the investigative unit from the Greenfield Fire Territory.
