Hi and Welcome to the Woodridge
Fire Picture Page.
November 8, 2008
between 1:45 to 2:00 pm a fire of "inconclusive" origin started in the home at
725 Woodridge Blvd, Mandeville, LA (Pace House). The following is a loosely commented photoblog from me, Glenn Accardo - owner of the home at 721 Woodridge Blvd.
A
third home located at 729 Woodridge (Ralph's House) was also involved. Media coverage still
available on the web is located
here at NOLA.com.
Shortly before 2pm, Kirby and Lauren
(glenns wife and daughter)returned to our house
from an outing and drove in front of the PACE house. Neither observed signs of smoke,
fire or anything out of the ordinary.
Corinne(glenns
daughter) was in her bedroom reading and I
was relaxed in our media room waiting for the start of the LSU-Alabama game(ironic
isn't it). Suddenly there were two successive noises that Kirby describes as shotgun
blasts. I didn't give it a second thought but Corinne wisely followed her intuition and
went outside to
investigate. She ran back in our front door seconds later, screaming that the house next door
was on fire.
The panic in her voice had me outside in a matter of seconds,
battling an inferno with a garden hose.
This is the first picture snapped by the owner at 729
(Ralph). By all accounts, there could not have
been more than 10 minutes between
this shot and the
time that Kirby and Lauren passed in front
of the house. Below is the fire as it
progressed at the Pace home.
Note flaming slab under house.(above) St.Tammany
Fire Dept. failed to secure the premises overnight, tainting any potential
evidence of arson and resulting in an "inconclusive"
cause of fire. No "proof" of accelerant.
oops.. forgot to mention the 5 gallon (not quart) can of
gasoline he admitted to having stored in an enclosed shed under the house.
Inconsequential according to arson investigator.
By this time I had given up trying to extinguish
fire spreading to our house(out of picture - left) with the garden hose.
The heat was intense - my hair singed.
St.Tammany Fire Dept. arrives after first going to
RIDGEWOOD subdivision instead of WOODRIDGE (no kidding).
Pictures above and below are at peak of inferno as
St. Tammany Fire Dept. is just getting set up and the south side and rear
of my house(left) is out of control.
Ralph's house begins to ignite as wind shifts and
carries flames southward.
Ralph's house is going up fast. STFD doesn't seem
concerned.
STFD can't locate a wrench to open the hydrant. Too
late for Ralph.
STFD finally gets some water on both of the "exposures"
(structures that are not already
destroyed - Ralph and Accardo houses) Police Dept is busy arresting my neighbor
for explaining to firemen what "exposures" are (no kidding!)
The morning after. Only Accardo home saved. 30% damaged by
fire, 30% damaged by smoke,
fire retardant, water and firemen. 90% of furniture, clothing, possessions
burned or otherwise ruined.
Regardless, we got out with the proverbial "clothes on our backs"
Above: Master Bedroom - The attic behind those studs collapsed into
the downstairs bedrooms shortly after this photo was snapped. I wondered if the
lifetime warranty on that Select Comfort Bed was still good.
Kirby is sifting through a charred mass of
photographs, film and video. 100% unrecoverable.
Demolition begins: They get things started by dropping a large piece of the roof on
our (previously undamaged) stairs.
Kind of looks like a Hollywood "Facade"
90 days pass. Demolition complete, Ralphs property bulldozed, Pace property untouched (below)
(below) Shot from Ralph's yard.
Above: Pace property still untouched. Below: Looking
down from master bedroom into Corinne's bedroom.
Note location of power distro. ALL electrical had to be replaced.
Not much to say here (except go home and make sure
your homeowners policy is current!)
Or here. (double check)
Reconstruction is beginning.... (note rear
projection TV set - still in master bedroom)
(attn CPI folks, It was a 17 year old Mitsu)
Above: Allen & Heath console has watery
demise. Below: Stud walls going up! Yea!!!!
That rear projection TV just won't go away.
Square on stairwell was original A/C air return.
We had always wanted a sunroof... Just not this big!
That TV is stalking us....
Progress on reconstruction - six months later at
this point - Pace property still untouched.
Above and Below: Inside still a mess.
Today is August 1, still at least 30
days out from going home.
Below: November 5, 2009 --- 1 year anniversary coming this weekend. Less than 10
items left on contractors punchlist. Ten months in temporary housing, over
$160,000.00 in repairs. Contents portion of homeowners policy maxed out and the
damages are still accruing.
Moral of the story: Make sure you have the DELUXE homeowners/renters policy.
You never know when you're going to need it. We dodged 4 hurricanes and look
what finally got us.
Last bit of irony: In 1995 when we built that
house, we were the "last house on the left." Fifteen years later, we're the
"last house on the left" again.
We sure can understand what the thousands of Katrina
victims went through.
Thanks for coming by!
