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Insurance expires, house burns

Less than two hours after the policy on a family's home expires, the $256,000 house is engulfed in flames. "Talk about timing," the homeowner says.

By JOHN FRANK
Published August 10, 2006

HERNANDO - At 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, the insurance policy on Mark Muscott's three-bedroom, 2,700-square-foot home expired.

At 1:50 a.m., flames engulfed the home.

"Counting the smoke damage, it's a total loss," Muscott said.

Muscott, his wife, Billie Jo, and their four children moved into the $256,000 lakeside home on E Van Ness Road about a month ago. It had been left to them in a trust when Billie Jo's grandfather, Bill Ogle, died May 31.

"We just finally got everything in place," Muscott said.

The entire family and two nephews were home at the time of the fire, and they managed to escape unharmed. Fire officials said it appeared that faulty electrical wiring in the attic caused the fire.

The Muscotts said they knew that the Allstate policy was set to expire as the clock struck Wednesday, and they had even scheduled an appointment later in the day to renew. The property appraiser was coming later this week.

But as the Muscotts surveyed the charred ruins in the morning's bright light, they were looking at insurance limbo. "Talk about timing," Muscott said. "It's not worth anything now."

Muscott said things could be worse. They still have a place to live - their old house, just a few blocks away. Friends and family were lining up to offer furniture for the house and clothes for the children - ages 5, 8, 10 and 12. The children are homeschooled.

It wasn't clear Wednesday whether Allstate would help cover the damage, but Muscott said the company will send an adjuster on Friday.

"We're hopeful," said Muscott, a Progress Energy maintenance mechanic.

The fire raged for 70 minutes, gutting half of the house. The rest was ruined by smoke, heat and water.

Hours later, water still dripped from the crumbling rafters, and the walls creaked from the weight of the sagging roof. The fire had melted fishing poles on the back porch and children's bikes in front of the garage. The house overlooks Croft Lake.

Officials said the flames started in the attic above a utility room adjacent to the garage. The electrical short seems to have burned for a while, officials told the Muscotts.

They had smoke alarms, Muscott said, but they didn't go off. "My wife heard a popping sound and woke up, then smelled something." He then opened the garage door to find the garage filled with smoke.

Because his nephews were staying the night, all of the kids were sleeping in the living room. "They were all in one spot, and we could scramble out the door," he said.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 860-7312.

[Last modified August 9, 2006, 23:02:07]