Meadow Lakes man loses home, seven dogs in fire

March 18, 2007

By SHARON G. McBRIDE

Frontiersman

MEADOW LAKES - Imagining coming home and opening the door to your house to find that all the contents inside had been consumed by a fire.

That's exactly what happened to Timothy McDaniel when he left his home Wednesday night after making a run for water for household use.

McDaniel was living in a military style connex on his land prior to the fire.

&#8220It was pretty traumatic,” McDaniel said. &#8220I lost everything, including my seven dogs.”

The fire ending up putting itself out, he said, after running out of oxygen because of the air-tight qualities of his home.

But, he said, it could have been a lot worse.

&#8220Luckily, by the time I came back the fire put itself out,” he said. &#8220If I had come back sooner and opened that door, it could have backdrafted right in my face.”

But he did lose everything inside, leaving the structure completely gutted.

&#8220My neighbors didn't know, so no one called the fire department,” he said. &#8220They can't see onto my property.”

McDaniel said he knew how the fire started.

&#8220It was really cold, so I had my dogs inside,” he said. &#8220One of my dogs had knocked a space heater over onto my recliner.”

From there, it caught the paneling on fire. When he got home about 45 minutes later, there wasn't much he could do.

&#8220My mattress on my bed was still burning,” he said.

He ended up using the water from his fish tank to put it out.

But the Mat-Su Red Cross did come to the rescue and helped him deal with the aftermath.

&#8220We helped out with three nights in a local hotel, clothing and shoes, and food for a week,” said Nancy Hall, district manager for the Mat-Su Red Cross.

&#8220They were awesome,” McDaniel said.

&#8220They have been instrumental in getting me back on my feet.”

Since July of last year, the Mat-Su Red Cross has helped 88 people by responding to 31 fires across the Valley.

&#8220We cover the entire Mat-Su area,” Hall said, including all

the way to Glennallen and Trapper Creek.

But the only way they can keep helping people like McDaniel is through donations, she said.

&#8220We definitely survive on the generosity of others,” Hall said.

For now, McDaniel is concentrating on rebuilding what he lost in the fire.

&#8220I was there today, cleaning everything out,” he said. &#8220I'm working on rewiring, and I am definitely going to add

windows.”

He also said he was looking into purchasing an alarm system of some sort that would help in notifying the fire department should something like this happen on his property again.

&#8220I'm also building a doggie door,” he said.

For more information or to make a donation to the Mat-Su Red Cross, interested persons can contact Hall at 357-6073.

For people interested in helping McDaniel, he is looking for donations of doors and windows, and possibly a puppy. He can be reached through the Mat-Su Red Cross.

Contact Sharon G. McBride at 352-2250 or sharon.mcbride

@frontiersman.com.