Regina Strobel stood outside what was left of her Brackenridge home in a misty rain Wednesday, a day after it was destroyed by fire.
She had been inside looking for anything she could salvage. She found a few pieces of much-needed clothing and a couple mementos.
She wasn’t able to find much else.
“The second floor is very unsafe,” she said.
Most of her pets, save for one dog, died in the fire that destroyed the home she grew up in at 1053 Stieren Ave. and shared with her husband, Matt, since 2009. On top of that painful loss, they now face the heavy lift of rebuilding without the help of homeowners insurance.
After her husband lost his job as an emergency medical technician last year, and facing costs associated with her late father who was then in a nursing home, Strobel said they dropped the coverage.
“There’s always something seeming a little more important — keeping vehicles running to get to and from work, bills, things of that nature,” she said. “There’s always something needing done of more urgency.
“Do you pay Peter or do you pay Paul?”
A friend, Kara Finkel of Vandergrift, started a GoFundMe campaign to help the Strobels. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had raised $1,850 from 45 donors toward a $20,000 goal.
It’s a high goal, Finkel said, but, “They’re going to need everything.”
The fire was reported right about 6 p.m., according to Allegheny County 911. A photo shows a mass of fire and thick black smoke at the back of the two-story structure, consisting of a brick and cement block main building with a wood frame addition on one side.
“It was fully involved when we got there,” Pioneer Hose Chief Rick Jones said.
Firefighters had it under control in just over a half hour, and left the scene after about two hours, according to county dispatch.
No one was hurt, Jones said.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal determined the fire was accidental, caused by a propane grill on the back porch.
Regina Strobel, 50, said she was not home at the time. Matt Strobel, 52, was. He was able to escape with their 14-year-old chihuahua.
“He grabbed the dog and ran out. He was barefoot,” she said. “Before he could go back in for other pets, it was already engulfed and too dangerous.”
She said a dog, two chinchillas, two turtles and fish died.
The fire burned up the back porch of the house, at the corner of Stieren Avenue and Hathaway Street, and charred the back side.
Heat from the fire melted the siding on a neighbor’s house a narrow lot away, but the house remained livable.
“That’s the problem with vinyl siding, it melts easy,” Jones said.
The occupants of that house could not be reached Wednesday.
Regina Strobel said she grew up in the house, which has been in her family since 1977. She moved back into it in 2009 upon returning to the area.
Besides a place to live, she said they’ll need clothes. Gift cards would be helpful.
Strobel said they were staying at the Quality Inn in New Kensington. They were going to seek help from the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches.
“We will try to help as much as we are able to with household items, clothing, food, or whatever is needed,” said Beth Kendra, emergency financial coordinator for the church association.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Local | Top Stories | Valley News Dispatch
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Brackenridge couple without insurance lose home, pets to fire - TribLIVE
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