Two Rescued As Woman Wakes To Smoke, Flames

Andrea Long doesn't know what caused her to wake up Monday morning.

But she is thankful it did.

Andrea was sleeping on a couch in her home around 9 a.m. Monday when she awoke to see flames in the corner of the living room in her house at 942 E. Garfield Street, Warsaw.

"I would like to know what woke me up," Andrea said this morning as she stood in front of the charred shell of the home she shared with her 2-year-old daughter Patsy Allen, her boyfriend Kip Allen and Kip's brother Kyle Allen. Andrea, Patsy and Kyle were in the home when the blaze started. "The smoke alarm did not go off."

Andrea said smoke detectors in the house were in working order but they did not sound.

"The smoke alarm worked the day before," said Kip, who explained smoke from something in the oven set off the smoke alarm Sunday.

When Long woke up, she said her first instinct was to try to put out the fire, but the flames were moving quickly.

"There was no putting this out," Andrea explained. "It was going too fast. I panicked. I didn't know where (my daughter) was."

Andrea said she started screaming and ran through black smoke to the back of the house where she woke Kyle and found Patsy.

"I ran to the back of the house and yelled for Kyle to wake up," Long said. "It took a while for him to wake up. I yelled, 'The house is on fire!' Then I started yelling for Patsy."

When Andrea yelled for her daughter, Patsy stepped out of the bedroom.

"I grabbed her up," Andrea said. Then she, Patsy and Kyle went out the back door of the blazing home.

Andrea ran from the back yard to the houses of several neighbors before finding Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Hughes home. Andrea called 911 from the Hughes' residence, then she called Kip, who was working, to tell him about the fire. Then Andrea went back to Kyle and Patsy, who were waiting in the back yard.

Kip, who was working in Winona Lake, left the home he was painting to check on his family.

"I could see the smoke from Winona (Lake)," Kip said. "I could see the smoke in the air."

By the time Kip arrived at the house, the Warsaw Fire Department was extinguishing the blaze and Kyle, Patsy and Andrea were being evaluated by the Multi-Township EMS.

All three were taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital for evaluation and treatment. Patsy escaped without injury, Kyle suffered mild smoke inhalation, and Andrea suffered smoke inhalation and a few minor burns. They were treated and released from KCH Monday.

"We are very lucky," Andrea said.

"I had only been sleeping a few hours," said Kyle, who works third shift at Othy. "If (Andrea) didn't wake me up, I would be dead. She saved my life."

Although all family members escaped the house successfully, the family's kitten was not so lucky.

"We lost our kitten," Andrea said sadly. "The Humane Society picked (the kitten) up before we came back yesterday."

Andrea, Kip, Patsy and Kyle are staying with family members while the matter is settled. The house was insured, but everything inside is considered a total loss.

In the past 24 hours, the family has been overwhelmed by the kindness of the community.

After the fire, neighbors gave the family blankets, coats, shoes to stay warm while waiting for emergency crews.

Employees at the hospital and EMTs gave Patsy teddy bears along with clothes and footies to keep her warm.

Kip's employer, Brian Smith of Smith's Painting, loaned the family a car. Smith also contacted the corporate office to get Kip uniforms for work since his were destroyed in the fire. Kip will not be charged new uniforms.

People Andrea works with at Applebee's have donated items for the family as well.

The American Red Cross provided assistance to the family as well.

"The American Red Cross has been very helpful," said Andrea, who said Red Cross Executive Director Larry Peppel gave the family money to buy coats and clothing since everything was destroyed in the fire.

The one thing the family lacks at this point is transportation. A 2002 Ford Explorer parked next to the house at the time of the fire was destroyed. Another vehicle parked near the residence sustained minor damage from the heat of the flames.

Anyone wishing to help the family may contact Kip on his cellular telephone at 574-551-1557.