Keith Evans, his wife Rhonda, their two kids, and four grandkids weren’t at their home on Goodwood Lane in Clear Creek last Friday when it went up in flames.
“We had gone to the school because they were having a spring fling for the kids,” Keith said.
As they arrived at Clear Creek Elementary on April 12, Keith saw the fire department pulling away with sirens on.
“I said 'they’re going somewhere in a hurry,'” Keith recalled. “Then the phone rang. That’s when we realized it was our house. My phone was ringing. It was my neighbor saying that there were flames coming out of my windows. I asked if it was at my house, and he said yes.”
Less than five minutes down the road from the school, an electrical wire caused flames to erupt throughout the Evans' home.
“I heard [my wife] say ‘Our house,’” he said. “Our house? Then when the tears started flowing down her face, I knew something was wrong.”
“We were standing down at our neighbor’s house,” Rhonda said. “Watching the flames come up, you just go into a shock and you’re numb.”
The fire started in the attic and went on to destroy the structure that the Evans family had called home for 35 years.
Their son was the only one home at the time, and he escaped safely.
“He was in the bathroom,” Keith said. “When he came out, the fire was too much. It was a big blaze. Saturday, we met the fire marshal here. That’s when it really kicked in for me.”
The family’s dog and many belongings were not able to recover from the flames.
“Sometimes, you get tears coming out of your eyes,” Rhonda said. “Other times, you’re standing somewhere and then see something that makes you break down again.”
However, all eight family members and their three cats are safe.
Between their local church, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the surrounding community, the family knows they’re not alone in their recovery.
“We just know that we’re not going to be homeless because we’ve had so many people already reach out and tell us that if they had to put cardboard on the floor, then we got a place to stay,” Keith said. “Knowing that we got the support and we’re not alone for this. That means so much.”
Whenever and however Keith and his family get back on their feet, he hopes it happens in Henderson County.
“I love it out here,” Keith said. “I don’t know about the kids. They say we lost all our memories. I told them that we should start new memories -- wherever we are.”
To help support the Evans family in a fundraising effort, click here.
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSHenderson County family's home of 35 years destroyed in fire; How you can help (wlos.com)