By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Bicycles, board games, a computer monitor and a weight bench are still visible through the rubbish of John and Vicky Stanley's home. Other items, including a television, furniture and upholstery, are barely noticeable.
On Saturday evening, a fire broke out in the Stanley's Fulkerson Park house, leaving behind only memories of what once was a beautiful five-bedroom structure.
"I got a phone call from my husband about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. I was at work and he told me to get home, that the house was on fire. You don't really know what to think at that point, so I rushed home," Vicky said.
When she pulled in the driveway, it was clear this wasn't just a small fire. The family's home was engulfed in flames.
"The first thing I saw when I pulled in the driveway was John, who came running to my car and threw the two dogs in," she said.
John was able to save the dogs and the bird. The family also had one cat, Chip, who was able to escape. "He's just been hanging around the house, waiting for us to come home. We feed him everyday," Vicky said.
John was sleeping at the time the fire started. "We call him 'Tim the Tool Man Taylor,' because he's got everything you can imagine. He had an alarm, which went off when the fire started and that's what woke him up," she continued. "When he heard the alarm, he saw the smoke in the house and immediately rushed out of bed. When he realized the house was on fire, he grabbed the animals. He told me he can see how people never wake up, because if it wasn't for that alarm, he probably wouldn't have."
Vicky is unsure how the fire started, and the family won't know until today, when the state fire investigator comes to examine things. The only thing they can assume is that it started in the garage, which showed the most sign of damage.
"It looks like a bomb went off in there," Vicky said as she looked at the three vehicles – a truck, van and a motorcycle – which are now nothing but burnt metal.
The garage of the home was completely destroyed, as is the roof of the house and almost everything inside. The garage was attached to the home.
One unusual sight, though, is that some things in the house remained untouched, while an item not even an inch away was black and burned.
"I want to show you this," Vicky said as she walked around the yellow caution tape, which surrounds the home. She walked to the side of the house where John's daughter, Kristina's, room is. "Look in the window. There is a picture of an angel, untouched." she said as she pointed toward a window. There, on the wall next to a shelf of board games, was the picture. Everything else in Kristina's room was destroyed. "Things like that don't happen for no reason," she said.
As the family walked away from the home, John also mentioned a Jesus clock, which sat in the living room above the fireplace. "It's still ticking away, the time is right and there doesn't appear to be any damage to it, but everything else in the living room is destroyed," he explained.
While the family lost almost everything, there were a few items which were able to be saved. As the firefighters entered the home during the blaze, they were able to retrieve two large pictures holders, which store portraits of John and Vicky's family.
"Everything is here, except one picture of Jacob (John's son)," she said. Vicky also explained that there was one item she desperately wanted.
"They asked if there was anything I could think of that they could try to save. My son is getting married this weekend and I really wanted my dress for the wedding. So they went inside and came out with it. Nothing was wrong with it, it just smelled of smoke, but we took it to the cleaners and it will be alright," she said.
The Niles Township Fire Department was assisted by the City of Niles Fire Department, Howard Township Fire Department and Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service.
The family is currently staying in a hotel in Mishawaka, Ind., but will soon have to find a new resting place.
"The Notre Dame game is this weekend and we don't want to deal with that, plus the rooms are all booked, but our insurance company told us to look around, because it will probably be about four months before we can do anything," she added.
While the family sat and looked at their belongings, still almost in disbelief, they had one thing to be thankful for, "nobody was hurt. The children weren't home at the time. We still can't believe this happened, but we know something good will come out of it. Someone has a plan for us and I know everything will be alright," Vicky added.