Tallulah – Rachel Riddle was busy with chores and a project for the library about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, while her husband Bobby was in the basement, puttering at his workbench.
About 15 minutes after Rachel put her 22-month-old granddaughter Kenley down for a nap, a smoke alarm went off.
Moments later, another smoke alarm started. Bobby called up from the basement, asking if something was burning in the oven.
The retired couple was puzzled. They couldn’t see or smell smoke and searched the house for the cause. Then they checked the bedroom where they keep their washer and dryer.
When they opened the door, black smoke billowed from the room. It is believed lint in the dryer vent caught fire and spread. Smoke was trapped in the room and entered the rest of the house through the ceiling, spreading throughout the attic with just enough penetrating the ceiling to trigger the smoke detectors.
The couple grabbed their granddaughter and fled the house before calling 911. The operator advised them to shut the bedroom door to slow the fire’s spread, so Bobby ran back inside and did as instructed.
It probably saved the house.
Minutes later, the first fire engine arrived from the Robbinsville Fire Department. Over the radio, the dispatcher asked whether more units were required.
“Send them all,” the firefighter responded.
Thick, dark smoke billowed from the eaves of the house as more firefighters arrived – four engines and a water tender from throughout Graham County, along with Graham County Emergency Services.
Early arrivers suited up and pulled their hoses inside the imperiled building. In just minutes, white steam replaced dark smoke.
The corner room with the dryer was gutted, Robbinsville Fire Chief Jeff Millsaps said, but the rest of the house was saved, albeit with smoke damage throughout.
Counting blessings
The Riddles stood by and watched as firefighters sprayed water inside their house.
For Rachel, it brought back a bad memory of when fire destroyed her childhood home on Old Tallulah Road when she was 12.
“We lost everything,” she recalled.
This time, fast-acting Graham County firefighters saved nearly everything.
For the Riddles, that was just one of several blessings. Bobby and Rachel thank God that they all escaped unharmed. They have relatives who have stepped up; they spent some nights at their daughter’s home next door, along with staying with a sister in the Beech Creek area.
They found a large travel trailer suitable for their temporary needs (the seller had other offers, but put the Riddles at the top of the list, even coming down on the price). The trailer is now parked in their driveway while they work to get it ready.
The Riddles have no insurance and cold weather has hampered their efforts to go through the house to recover belongings and begin repairs. They expect recovery from the ordeal will be a long, expensive process.
For those who would like to help with financial donations, they can drop off any donations to the United Community Bank at 132 Rodney Orr Bypass and ask for it to be deposited in Rachel Riddle’s account.