This is what I wrote for Facebook:
I think this happened around Valentines Day.
I
Just got back from Topeka. I took a video of Larry and Patty's house so
everyone can understand and see the devastation. To be able to come home
is not an option for them now. I am amazed at their strength and I
am reminded how fortunate I am that I still have them in my life.
God works in mysterious ways. The fire blocked both exits and although
the fire is devastating, the timing, I believe saved their lives. It
wasn't while they were sleeping. It is heartbreaking to hear their
dog, Stark, didn't survive. I know how pets are part of a family and we
can all relate to how hard it is to lose one. Please take away a
message of having a fire safety plan from all of this. Check your smoke
alarms. Plan your exit with your family. Scan your important papers
and email them to yourself or put them on a thumb drive and put it in your
safety deposit box. Take a video of everything in your house. Take
pictures of your make and model numbers. Save your pictures. If
anyone has pictures of the Wilson family, I would ask that you make a disc and
send them as a gift around Christmas. Good will come out of this.
For now, it's a time of grieving and shock and personal growth. Our
prayers are being answered so don't stop now.
My
brother and wife just had a major house fire and lost everything Feb 15. Larry Wilson graduated from Topeka West in
1969 and Patty in 1970 from Topeka High. They want everyone to take away
a plan of safety from this video for your own family after watching the
video. They’re still in shock and are realizing they can’t just click
their heels and go home anymore. Patty
took me out to the house and it was just overwhelming, but losing their dog was
the most heartbreaking. The dog was in
the south bedroom and was killed by all the toxic fumes. I’m sure God took her while she was
sleeping. The fire was late morning and
the timing was perfect for saving Larry and Patty’s lives. I believe everyone has the “if only” scenario
playing over and over in their heads.
Playing that in reverse makes me realize how blessed and fortunate they
were. If this would have happened at
night, I fear they wouldn’t have gotten out.
Both exits were blocked by the blaze.
On any given night, they have several of their 9 grandchildren spending
the night at Grandma and Grandpa Wilson’s B & B.
The fire was a tragedy. Did it restore their faith? No, it has always been there and has not
wavered. They aren’t looking for
sympathy and don’t even carry that card in their wallets. They just want everyone to learn from this
and have a plan. Their fire was caused by
some electrical malfunction as far as they know and it’s hard to predict and prevent
those things. If everyone would just
take a moment to check their fire alarms and go over a plan of action with your
own family it would warm their hearts. A
person doesn’t realize how fast the toxic fumes spread and how fast a fire
spreads. Teach your children to GET OUT
immediately. Put important information
on a thumb drive in your safety deposit box.
Think of protecting your pictures now.
I know Patty is in shock but she said something I found somewhat amusing
considering all the devastation; she just kept saying she just wanted a
hairbrush. Then she said she was going
to get some lotion from her bathroom but a bit of reality slammed her as she
looked at the burnt-out mess. She then corrected
herself and said, “Oh, I don’t have a bathroom.” Walmart got some business that day. Here are some news videos you can check out
with the fire department on the scene the morning of the fire. View a video from the scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgDPrfEMZ_c.
