Kitchen fire forces family from home
Cape Coral residents Kay Schmiedler and Sandra Fischer spent Tuesday trying to figure out how to put their home, and their lives, back together.
The evening before a fire broke out in the kitchen of their house at 5815 S.W. First Place, causing an estimated $80,000 in damage. Ruled accidental and electrical in nature, the fire was caused by a toaster on the counter.
“I don’t know where I can begin to clean,” Fischer said Tuesday afternoon while standing outside of her home.
She and Schmiedler were waiting for the insurance inspector to arrive.
Fischer showed off the extensive fire damage to the kitchen and voiced concern about the soot that appeared to cover everything, not just in the kitchen. She pointed out pictures of her family covered in the black dust.
“This is terrible,” Fischer said.
The family of five, including Duncan, 7, Jordan, 5, and Bryan, 2, has lived in the home for a couple years. Schmiedler said Fischer left Monday to take the two oldest children to tennis practice and he put some bread in the toaster.
He started to take a short shower and then the smoke alarms were ringing, he said. Schmiedler went to the kitchen and discovered the fire. Grabbing the garden hose, he attempted to put out the fire before evacuating the house.
“I tried to put water on it but there was so much smoke,” Schmiedler said.
He ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911.
The youngest child was at day care when the fire broke out.
According to city officials, Cape fire dispatch received a 911 call about a significant amount of black smoke coming from the windows of the home at 4:55 p.m. Fire crews arrived within five minutes.
Firefighters determined that the fire was in the kitchen and attacked from the interior, officials reported. By 5:07 p.m., the fire had been extinguished. The fire was contained within the kitchen area and no injures were reported.
Fischer said she cried when she learned what had happened.
“It was just crazy,” she said.
Schmiedler offered thanks to the firefighters for their quick response.
A city building inspector has determined that the home is uninhabitable, so the American Red Cross has stepped in and provided the family with lodging at a hotel for a couple of days.
Fischer said her family appreciates the aid.
“They were a big help,” she said.
The family still needs to find housing though until their home is repaired.
“We are looking for another place to live,” Fischer said.
The family is hoping to find a temporary rental that is furnished.
Sadly, Schmiedler noted that the family has spent the last two months making improvements to the home, including redoing the children’s bedrooms and installing marble tile. Last week, they were getting estimates for a pool.
“Now we have other problems than the pool, I think,” Fischer said.