Never in a million years did Wendell and Marta Miller imagine that they would spend the Fourth of July watching their Monroe home go up in flames, but that is exactly what happened.
Set ablaze at approximately 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, Marta and Wendell's South Lewis Street home is a total loss. Presumably started by a firework, the fire swiftly consumed a row of arborvitae trees planted along the north side of the house. From there the fire spread rapidly, with the flames fully engulfing the north side of the home as the fire traveled through the attic, destroying two bedrooms, a hallway and part of the kitchen.
Initial reports at the scene indicated recent firework activity in the parking lot of the rental hall next door. The investigation is ongoing.
Approximately 30 firefighters from Monroe, Sultan, Duvall, Clearview, Snohomish, Lake Stevens and Gold Bar responded to the two-alarm call.
"Unfortunately without any defensible space between the trees and the house, the fire spread to the attic pretty quickly, even with our first units arriving only three minutes after dispatch,GÇ¥ said Monroe Fire Department Assistant Chief Steve Guptill.
Marta and Wendell, parents to three girls, age 10, 8 and 7, were enjoying the Fourth of July holiday with Marta's brother and sister-in-law when the fire occurred. They were relaxing in front of the television, getting ready to head over to the Evergreen Speedway to catch the fireworks show. Wary of the dry conditions, the Millers had decided to forgo fireworks this year and leave it to the professionals.
Suddenly, they heard a loud booming sound from outside their house. Marta's brother leaped up from where he was sitting and ran to investigate, with Wendell following close behind. The next thing Marta knew, her brother was screaming "fire!GÇ¥
They gathered the kids and got outside as fast as they could, not even pausing to put on shoes.
"There's six kids GÇô my brother's kids and our kids. They have three and we have three,GÇ¥ Marta said. "I don't even know how we got everybody out of the house.GÇ¥
Flames shot high into the air above the burning arborvitae trees, generating heat that could be felt from across the street. Marta and Wendell were forced to stand there, helplessly, and watch the home they had purchased only two years ago burn. Firefighters doused the flames as quickly as they could, but the home was destroyed beyond repair.
"I was just screaming. I didn't know what else to do. I was just watching our life burn,GÇ¥ Marta said. "It was crazy, it was surreal. It really was. Watching your house burn GÇô I would never wish that on anybody, ever.GÇ¥
The firefighters were able to rescue numerous sentimental family photographs from the walls, including photos of the Millers' girls when they were babies, a photo of Marta and Wendell from their wedding and a photo of Wendell with his father.
"My husband's dad died a long time ago and it was the only picture he had. And they grabbed it,GÇ¥ Marta said. "I don't think they knew how much that stuff meant GÇô they went in and just did it for us. It was amazing how quick they acted.GÇ¥
Nothing else from inside the home is salvageable. On Tuesday, the pungent odor of burnt wood and insulation permeated
the air around the outside the residence, which has been classified as unfit for occupation. Inside, the odor was dramatic and cloying, thoroughly permeating every inch of space.
Marta said that when they close their eyes, they can still hear the crackling sound the trees made as they burned. They can still smell the smell of burning wood and feel the heat of the blaze.
The Red Cross provided the Millers with a short-term voucher for a hotel room, which is where they'll be staying until their insurance company is able to find a rental house that can accommodate their family. It's been a whirlwind couple of days, said Marta, and they are still processing their feelings.
"There's a lot of emotion right now going on,GÇ¥ Marta said. "It's hard. It's really hard.GÇ¥
At the same time, Marta said, she and Wendell have been overwhelmed, humbled and completely amazed by the outpouring of community support.
The instant the Monroe community learned about the incident, they rushed forward to help. Monroe Planning Commissioner Bridgette Tuttle started a support group on Facebook in order to provide a cohesive mechanism for organizing donations, while a member of Marta's family started a fundraising page on a site called YouCaring.
"We have so many Facebook messages we cannot answer them,GÇ¥ Marta said. "We just want everybody to know, we're getting them, we're reading them, and we appreciate it so much.GÇ¥
Sam Wirsching, owner of Sam's Cats and Dogs, Naturally, told the Millers they could come to his store and take whatever they needed for their dog Fred. Dashing Dutchman Deli owners Susan Whitfield and Ernst "DutchmanGÇ¥ Ter Horst invited them to have meals at the deli whenever they needed to. Their insurance agent, Sally Petty, arrived at the house on Sunday, offering her support. She sat with them as the grieved the loss of their home.
Whitfield and Wirsching spent Tuesday night making "Support the MillersGÇ¥ donation jars which will be placed in businesses across town.
Julie Hanford, Tuttle and Melissa Mabie Allmon have been helping to manage donations and prioritize the Millers' needs.
As of Wednesday morning, the "Support the MillersGÇ¥ Facebook group had 735 members.
Monroe residents Geoff Dirks and Darren Roller have been working to provide nightly security detail at the Millers' house, while countless others have reached out to help in whatever way they can. The YMCA provided them with a free one-month family membership, churches have taken up collections, and meals have been provided for.
"It's overwhelming GÇô the goodness of Monroe,GÇ¥ Marta said. "I'm overwhelmed with how kind and loving this town is.GÇ¥
Marta and Wendell don't know who set off the firework that caused the fire, but whoever it was, they have already forgiven them. They don't want them punished, and if the person does come forward, they have decided not to seek criminal prosecution.
"We don't hold any hard feelings against them,GÇ¥ Marta said. "We don't hate them; we don't want to prosecute them GÇô nothing like that. We don't want them to go around carrying guilt for something that I really feel was a mistake.GÇ¥
It is anticipated that it will take at least a year for Marta and Wendell to rebuild their home. They are working with their insurance company to locate a rental property to live in during the interim, and Marta is hopeful that they will be able to remain in Monroe.
Marta has long been an integral and valued part of the Monroe community. She was program director at the Monroe Boys & Girls Club for just shy of four years, leaving earlier this year to focus on her family. While she and Wendell always knew that they loved Monroe, now that feeling is amplified.
The community has become a part of their family.
"That's the goal; to stay in Monroe,GÇ¥ Marta said. "We don't want to leave our community right now. This is our home and this is where we need to be GÇô we need to be with our family.GÇ¥
Donations can be made at: http://www.youcaring.com/marta-miller-385364, and to join the support group, please visit here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SupportTheMillers/. Currently, it is difficult to the Millers to accept any large items like furniture, because they are living in a hotel. But gift cards, meals and smaller items are welcome.
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