A south-central Arizona woman and her paraplegic husband lost their new mobile home less than 24 hours after they moved in, according to a local NBC News affiliate.
Elizabeth and Brian Petrie moved into a new mobile home in Mesa on Nov. 10, went out to buy supplies and return their U-Haul, and returned to find their house on fire. said the couple. GoFundMe campaign.
Video footage shared by 12News It shows a house engulfed in heavy fire and firefighters battling the blaze.
Mesa Fire and Medical Department (MFMD) answered In an emergency situation. “[O]Crews worked hard to quickly extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent residences. ”
MFMD initially extinguished the fire, but then ran out of water, Elizabeth Petrie told 12News.
A video attached to the MFMD statement shows that all that remains of the house is a burnt-out, apparently uninhabitable shell. (Related: Video shows moment police rescue elderly woman from raging flames)
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. Meanwhile, the couple, who are staying in a hotel, will have to continue paying rent on the abandoned house until the vacant lot is cleared, according to a fundraising group.
“I couldn't believe my house and everything in it was gone in just a few minutes,” a tearful Elizabeth Petrie told 12News. “I couldn't even stand there anymore. I had to turn the corner and sit in the van because I was watching everything, our whole life, go up in flames.”
Charles Nauman, a friend of the couple, said he was still in the home when the fire broke out. He helped the couple move into the house. He gave 12News a tour of the ruins and explained how the fire spread. He escaped with the couple's dog but suffered no burns to his arms, hands or face.
“Everything in the house is black. There's soot everywhere. There's nothing that's not covered in soot,” Elizabeth Petrie added.
Two motorcycles in a carport on the premises also escaped the flames. According to a GoFundMe campaign, one of the partially burned motorcycles was customized for Brian Petrie's disability. Some of the couple's motorcyclist friends “drove for hours to help,” but it was doubtful whether the bike would be salvaged.
“It's set up for him to ride, but as you can see, that's no longer an option,” Elizabeth Petrie told 12News.
Elizabeth Petrie told 12News the home was not yet insured. The couple traveled back and forth to Nevada for two weeks before settling down on Nov. 10 to prepare for a Thanksgiving gathering with other families.
Now, the couple is looking to make a fresh start, albeit this time from scratch. “We lost everything,” Elizabeth Petrie told 12News.
As of this writing, the fundraiser had raised only $10,327 of its $75,000 goal.
About 10 firefighters narrowly escaped burns in a fire at another home near the University of Arizona and Benedictine College in Mesa in August. The roof of the house collapsed on them, 12 News separately reported.
