“Thank you to everyone whom have so generously and loving given to a family you’ve never met! My name is Joelle and my partner, Britt, and I moved her about 1.5 years ago with our children Kevin, Pieta and Everett, and have been so amazed by this community. Through the wildfires, then the ice storm, and now this - we are rooting in a truly strong, special place.
Receiving so many caring and concerned messages, we wished to update our community on our current safe status. Investigators have determined as of yesterday that fire occurred after our generator dried out the adjacent exterior wood wall siding over many years enough such that it eventually took to flame while the generator was in use. Thus they noted it was not an “if” but a “when” scenario and I am grateful I was home alone without our children, during the day and awake, and that we had all working smoke detectors - especially since the investigators said the fire grew three times it’s size with every minute.
The unique shape, materials of our home and roof made it difficult to put out the fire. It went up and stayed up in the vaulted areas, eaves and attic spaces. There are plenty of areas that appear untouched by direct flame, however between the caved ceilings due to tresses, dry wall, insulation, wiring and more, falling from fire damage and water weight, there is also an enormous amount of smoke, debris, and water damage throughout every inch of the home. Our team notes the entire house itself must be rebuilt.
We have temporary shelter for the year through an RV from friends, and thereby have heat! Yay! We also have electricity and hope this week we will have water once a broken line is found and repaired.
We have tons of bottled water, snacks, toiletries, blankets, sheets, an air purifier, plates, bowls, silverware, pots and pans, paper towels and toilet paper, a standing heater, hair brush, Tylenol, a toaster oven, towels, sleeping bags, pillows, and even clothes, coats and shoes as well as toys from both many incredible donations and some things we have gradually been able to remove from the home and save through cleaning with the help of our neighbors! Seriously, this is just mind boggling how folks have come together so quickly to shore us up!!!
We have a dry office/studio space unattached from the home for our animals - and all their needs have been met including replacing their enclosures, bedding, feed, litter, and more! It’s amazing how many little things go into taking care of everyone but golly everyone contributed so quickly it was almost seamless how that came together within two days!
We plan to have a portable storage container so we may store items salvaged by fire fighters and now potentially also through the cleaning teams working with the demolition crew that will begin coming through the house next week. We are hopeful we may be able to use the unattached garage for some additional living/play space for the children.
What a village and beyond that has made this possible for us! We are truly speechless and count that we have far more blessings than losses! Thank you to every anonymous person whom have showed us love but never even met us. You are all amazing! This is the kind of world we live in, this is what humanity is really about. We might not see it on the news but is absolutely is the greater fabric of our being. We look forward to the myriad of ways we can give back to each of you and more in the coming weeks, months and years here in Beavercreek!
While words are absolutely not enough to capture the full measure of the depth of our gratitude, we will take every opportunity and forum to express it however and whenever we can: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
