Police

Special Report: Path to recovery for local house fire victims

Who: Verna Campbell and                Bonnie Sue-Luce When: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2012 Where: Riverhead  What happened: Verna Campbell woke up at 5:45 a.m. and put her tea on, just like any other morning. But shortly after leaving the kitchen, she came back to a room full of smoke and fire. A box stored near the stove had apparently fallen on top of the gas-powered flame. Ms. Campbell — well known around town as the longtime Town Hall secretary — and her daughter Bonnie Sue-Luce, who lived upstairs at the time, were able to escape unharmed, though they lost three cats in the fire. The home, built in the early 1900s, had been passed down from Ms. Campbell’s mother.
Who: Verna Campbell and
Bonnie Sue-Luce
When: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2012
Where: Riverhead
What happened: Verna Campbell woke up at 5:45 a.m. and put her tea on, just like any other morning. But shortly after leaving the kitchen, she came back to a room full of smoke and fire. A box stored near the stove had apparently fallen on top of the gas-powered flame. Ms. Campbell — well known around town as the longtime Town Hall secretary — and her daughter Bonnie Sue-Luce, who lived upstairs at the time, were able to escape unharmed, though they lost three cats in the fire. The home, built in the early 1900s, had been passed down from Ms. Campbell’s mother.

A few miles away in Riverhead, Verna Campbell’s situation is evidence of what a house fire survivor’s road to recovery can look like after only three years.

Ms. Campbell’s Maple Avenue home was badly damaged by a morning fire in January 2012. Ms. Campbell — who worked as a receptionist at Riverhead Town Hall for decades — lost all of her possessions, including her clothes, her collection of books and many photographs of her family.

Like the Fountaines, Ms. Campbell lived with her daughter in a mobile home on the property. The temporary housing was paid for by insurance, as were the furniture and repairs.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead without insurance,” Ms. Campbell asserted.

But 14 months after the fire, Ms. Campbell was back in her home, newly renovated with insurance money. She was even able to customize her house. She turned a closet into a shelf, painted the kitchen yellow and added more windows to let in “God’s bright sunshine.”

Today, guests at her home are treated to a happy recollection of every new piece of furniture and what store it came from.

“This was an answer to prayer,” Ms. Campbell said.

Though it’s been years since the fire, Ms. Campbell can quickly recall what started it: She was preparing breakfast in her cluttered kitchen when a box fell onto the stove. The flames spread up the counter, up the cabinets and up the wall.

“I will never forget,” she said. She’s learned from that day, vowing to keep her home clean. Her kitchen is immaculate.

She’s gotten new clothes, too, and replaced some of the photographs with copies from family members. Her book collection — now growing once more to replace those she lost in the fire — is a great source of pride.

“I’m getting there,” Ms. Campbell said. “Slowly, but surely.”

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