Family suffers in fire's wake

The Lewises were lucky to have found a place to stay, but the home needs repairs, and most of their belongings were claimed in the fire Saturday.

By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 10, 2003

CRYSTAL RIVER -- Renee Lewis and her family are facing a trial by fire. After losing one home Saturday, Lewis and her four children are struggling to get by in another house that is barely fit to live in.

A faulty wood-burning stove caused a blaze that damaged their home at 334 NE 13th Ter. The family was home when the fire happened. No one was injured, but the home was damaged to the extent that the family had to move.

They also lost most of their clothes, furniture and appliances.

Lewis, 35, and her four children were able to move into a vacant home her father owns just a few doors away. But it's in serious disrepair: The roof leaks, the carpets are water damaged and full of mildew, and there is no central heat. One bathroom needs a new toilet. There's no refrigerator.

Lewis and her family have spent much of the week picking through the rubble of their old home, trying to salvage what few items remain. She rented the home and had no insurance.

At the same time, they are struggling to maintain their school, work and family schedule in the new home, which provides very little comfort. Lewis meets the difficulties with a smile and a strong Christian faith.

"We're alive, and we have lots of love and faith. I'm just hoping that somehow all the other things will be taken care of," she said. "I'm trying to help myself, and I don't mind working hard, but I just can't financially meet all these costs."

Several charities already have provided some help. Daystar and Red Cross have given some clothes and food, but the family is in dire need of more substantial assistance, the kind their extended family can't provide.

A Crystal River native, Lewis is hoping that the community will come to her family's aid.

"It's what I'm praying for," she said.

What she needs is someone to repair the house she and her children now occupy.

"It's not beyond help, and it's big enough for us," she said. "What it really needs is the roof to be repaired so that the water will quit coming through every time it rains and the flooring to be pulled out and replaced."

The family also needs a refrigerator, washing machine, dryer and a heater.

Staying there is the best option for her, Lewis said, because she need not pay any rent, and her family members live close by to help with child care.

"There's no way I can come up with the security deposits and advance rent on an apartment. I just started working," she said.

Before the fire, Lewis, a single mother, was rebuilding her life. Recurring health problems after the birth of her youngest daughter in 1999 required surgery and prevented her from working.

But in December, she gained enough strength to find a job. She's a home health aide, working 12-hour shifts that start at 7 a.m.

This means her four children -- Donte, 13, Bashon, 12, Jamir, 8, and Maloni, 3 -- awaken, get dressed and get ready for school mostly on their own. Two children catch a ride with a friend to school; Lewis drops the other two at preschool on her way to work.

"They wake up at 5:45 and turn a on small heater in the bathroom to heat it up," Lewis said. "I have to leave for my job around 6:30."

In spite of the problems caused by the fire and their current housing, Lewis says she is counting on her family to work together.

"I'm so proud of my children. They know what they have to do each day, and they just do it," she said. "With me working 12-hour shifts, there's just no way I can be around to help them as much as I'd like."

To help the Lewis family, call 212-2706.

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