The heat and flames that had started in the kitchen when she left a frying pan on the hot stove sent Velma screaming through her double-wide. She’d tried to put out the fire, but to no avail. “Peggy Ann! Eddie! Where are you? We’ve gotta get out of the house!” When neither child responded, Velma’s fear escalated to panic.
Smoke filled Velma’s lungs as she raced down the hall, coughing, disoriented, and calling her children’s names. Thick smoke filled the air, and she groped her way along, until she reached her daughter’s bedroom. The door was open, and she stepped inside. “Peggy Ann, are you here?”
Velma tipped her head when she heard a faint whimper.
“Peggy Ann!” Velma moved forward, trying to focus through the smoky haze.
Suddenly, her daughter was there, gripping Velma’s hand. “Are we gonna burn up in the fire?”
“No, honey, we’ll be okay.” Velma swept a hand across her forehead. She needed to call 911, but was unable to get to the phone. “Where’s your brother?”
“I—I don’t know, Mama. Eddie said he was gonna take the dog for a walk, but I don’t know if he went outside or not.” Peggy Ann coughed. “Oh, Mama, I can’t breathe.”
Velma pulled her daughter to the floor and instructed Peggy Ann to hold tight to her arm. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll keep my arm around you, and we’ll crawl out together.” She remembered hearing once that, when trapped in a fire, the safest place to be was on the floor, and that a person should try to follow the wall. Velma had to get Peggy Ann to safety and then find Eddie.
Hearing sirens in the distance, she felt a glimmer of hope. One of her neighbors must have seen the blaze and called the fire department.
“Look over there! Do you see the smoke?” Lyle pointed as he guided their horse and open buggy up the road in the direction of their house. They’d taken the children out for an early supper and were on their way home, never expecting to encounter such a tragedy.
Heidi tipped her head back. Lyle was right—there must be a huge fire up ahead. Dusk was approaching, and when they continued on, she saw a red glow in the sky. “Ach, I hope it’s nobody we know, and I pray no one’s been injured.”
As they drew closer, two fire trucks came up behind them, sirens wailing, and horns blaring. Lyle pulled the horse and buggy onto the shoulder of the road and waited for them to pass.
Their horse threw her head back and whinnied. “Whoa, Bobbins, steady, girl,” Lyle said in a calming voice. The horse pawed the ground and snorted, but finally settled down.
Lyle pulled back onto the road, but they’d only gone a short distance, when Heidi recognized the location of the fire. “Oh, no! The Kimballs’ double-wide is on fire! We need to see if they’re all okay.”
Lyle turned up the Kimballs’ driveway and halted the horse near a tree that stood a safe distance from the burning mobile home. He turned to a wide-eyed Marsha and Randy and said, “You two stay in the buggy with Heidi, while I check on things.” Lyle stepped down and raced across the yard.
Trembling, Heidi remained in the front seat, while the children stayed seated behind her, both whimpering.
Randy tapped Heidi’s shoulder. “Are Velma and her kinner gonna die in the fire?”
“I hope not, Randy. I pray everyone has safely gotten out of the house.”
“What about the hinkel?” Marsha asked. “Are they gonna be all right?”
“Jah, the coop is away from the house, so the chickens should be fine.” Heidi felt bad that the children had to witness such a horrible sight, but no way could she and Lyle take them home until they knew if Velma and her family were out of danger.
Desperate to know what was happening, Heidi reminded the children to stay in the buggy, and then she got out. She needed to see for herself if the Kimballs were okay.
As soon as Darren pulled his vehicle into the yard of the burning mobile home, Ellen hopped out of the car. He could almost tell by the determined set of her jaw what she had in mind.
“Where are you going?” Becky leaned out the back window and shouted at her mother.
“Someone may be hurt, and since I’m a nurse, I need to see if I can assist in any way.” Ellen turned to look at Becky. “I want you to stay right here in Darren’s SUV where it’s safe. Do you understand?”
“Okay.”
“You stay put too, Jeremy,” Darren instructed, before climbing out of the car. “I’m going to see if my help is needed.” He waited until his son nodded, then sprinted across the yard.
“Is anyone in the house?” Darren hollered to one of the firemen he recognized.
“Don’t know yet. Two of our men went inside when they heard someone screaming, but I haven’t seen anyone come out.”
Acting on instinct, Darren made a dash for the door, but the fireman stopped him. “Sorry, friend, but you can’t go in there. You’re not suited up, and this fire is not in your district.”
“I know, but—”
“There are no buts about it. You know the rules.”
With a reluctant nod, Darren backed off. It wasn’t in him to stand around and do nothing, especially when lives could be at stake. He glanced to his right and saw Ellen talking to Heidi Troyer and her husband. A few other Amish folk were milling about. He wasted no time in joining the Troyers. “Do you know who lives here?”
Lyle nodded. “It belongs to Hank and Velma Kimball.”
Darren’s brows shot up. “The same Velma whose daughter’s been taking Heidi’s cooking classes?”
“Yes, and this is their double-wide engulfed in flames.” Heidi tugged the narrow ties of her head covering. “I wish we knew if Velma or any of her family is inside.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I pray no one’s been hurt.”
Darren stood helpless with the others, as he watched the mobile home continue to burn, despite the firemen’s attempts to put out the flames. As the water from the hose hit the scorching inferno, it made a sizzling sound mixed with the popping of things exploding inside. From where he stood, the mobile home was nearly consumed by the fire. And a harsh wind had picked up, making the firemen’s efforts that much more difficult.
A few minutes later, one of the firemen exited the home with Velma and her young daughter. Darren looked at Ellen and mouthed the words, Thank goodness.
“Where are Velma’s son and her husband?” Ellen clasped her hands in a gesture of prayer.
“I don’t know. Let’s go find out.” Darren led Ellen over to where Velma and Peggy Ann stood trembling, despite the blankets draped across their shoulders. Neither appeared to be burned, but their hair and clothes were black with smoke.
“What happened, Velma? Where’s your son?” Ellen shouted.
“I don’t know,” Velma rasped. “Peggy Ann said Eddie was gonna take Abner for a walk, and I pray he and the dog aren’t still in the house.”
Woof! Woof! At the sound of a dog barking, Darren rushed forward. He couldn’t stand out here idly watching when the life of Velma’s son could be at stake.
Velma shook her head vigorously, pushing aside the oxygen mask the paramedic tried to place over her nose and mouth. “I need to find my boy!”
“You need to calm down,” the man insisted, holding firm to Velma’s arm. “We can’t let you go back in the house. If your son is in there, one of the firemen will make every effort to find him.”
Ellen and Heidi stepped up to Velma. “It’s going to be okay,” they said in unison.
Velma rocked back and forth as a wave of dizziness washed over her. “I don’t know about that. Bad things always seem to happen to me.” She gulped in some air. “Hank will never speak to me again when he finds out my carelessness with hot oil started the fire. And if anything happens to Eddie, it won’t matter if he doesn’t forgive me, because I’ll never forgive myself.”
Heidi put her arm around Velma’s waist, and Ellen took hold of her hand. They tried to offer her hope, but Velma found no comfort at all. No matter how angry he might get with her, Hank was needed right now and she wished he was here instead of out on the road. He never seemed to be around when she needed him, though.
After what seemed like hours, Darren emerged from the front door of the double-wide, his face blackened with soot. He carried Eddie in his arms and Abner was at his side.
Velma rushed forward. “Is my boy all right?”
“He’s inhaled a lot of smoke, but I think he’s going to be okay.”
The paramedics took over then, offering first aid to Velma and both of her children, while Ellen and Heidi looked on. A fireman took their dog and checked him for injuries. Other than needing some oxygen, Abner was okay.
“You’ll need to go to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and observation,” one from the medical team told Velma.
“But what about my dog?” Velma felt so disoriented she could barely think. Her home, along with everything in it, was gone, and Hank didn’t even know what happened.
“That’s my best friend and fellow firefighter, Bruce Ferguson, taking care of your pet,” Darren informed Velma.
Abner was now wagging his tail as Bruce removed the oxygen mask. “Don’t worry about Abner, Velma. He’s in good hands, and I’ll see that he’s taken care of for you tonight.”
Tears welled in Velma’s eyes as she murmured a quiet, “Thank you.” She had no home and didn’t know what the future held for her family, but at least she and the kids were all alive. That was something to thank God for.
When Ellen and Darren returned to his vehicle, Becky and Jeremy got out and hugged their parents.
“We were so scared, Mom. Did anyone die in the fire?” Becky sniffed, clinging to Ellen’s hand.
“No, Becky. Velma and her children are going to be fine. Their dog is okay too.”
Running a jerky hand through his hair, Jeremy looked up at his dad. “I was worried you might be killed tryin’ to save someone’s life.”
“I’m fine, Son. Just a little smoke ridden is all.” Darren gestured to the black Lab at his side. “Velma’s dog needs a home for the night. Think you might want to help me take care of him?”
“Bacon might not like having another dog in the house, especially one that’s bigger than him. But I guess the poor mutt needs somewhere to go, so I’ll help you take care of him.”
Darren smiled. “Thanks, Son. I knew I could count on you.”
Jeremy looked over at Ellen. “I’m glad you’re okay too. Becky and I were worried about you and my dad.”
“He’s right, we were,” Becky agreed.
Ellen felt a sense of relief. Not only were their children getting along better, but they seemed more cordial toward each other’s parents. Maybe there was hope for a relationship with Darren after all. There might be no need for her to break things off—at least not tonight. Ellen would give it more thought before making a decision that could affect the rest of her life. Right now, she needed to concentrate on looking for a way to help Velma and her family.