The rubble at the scene of a fire that destroyed the home of Terry and Rhonda Jarrett, 2110 12th Ave.

Tuesday, January 18, 2000

The rubble at the scene of a fire that destroyed the home of Terry and Rhonda Jarrett, 2110 12th Ave. NE, is so fragile that it has delayed investigation.

The red two-story home today is caked with sheets of ice from the frozen waters that extinguished an inferno that cost a family its home Sunday night.

According to Austin fire and police reports, the couple and two sons were asleep when the fire was discovered at 11:39 p.m. Sunday. Terry Jarrett was outside the home in bare feet, according to Fire Chief Dan Wilson.

The father awoke and ordered his wife Rhonda and two sons out of the home. When police officers first arrived at the scene, the second story of the house was engulfed in flames.

Austin firefighters brought the blaze under control, but not before it was declared a total loss, including both the structure and possessions inside.

Today, it has been learned that the house was covered by insurance, although how much insurance is not known, according to Austin Fire Chief Dan Wilson.

"The insurance adjustor will send a cause-and-origin investigator as soon as possible," Wilson said. "We can’t speculate at this time as to the cause of the fire."

The Jarretts were placed in the Days Inn overnight while emergency aid from the Mower County chapter of the American Red Cross was arranged.

Terry Jarrett told investigators at the scene Sunday night he believes it originated in the ceiling above the kitchen area.

"We won’t know that until we have the remains of the house, which is in such bad shape, dismantled," the fire chief said. "It’s too dangerous to go in there now."

Terry Jarrett is a truck driver and his wife works part time at a local convenience store and gasoline station.

Two sons, Jacob, 8, and Clinton, 10, were at home at the time of the blaze. A daughter, Nina, 15, was staying at friends.

On Monday, the Jarretts’ oldest child, Jeremy, came home to help his family deal with their loss.

"I don’t know what woke me," Terry said, "Maybe, it was the dogs. We brought them in Sunday night and they were fidgeting around."

"When I awoke and smelled smoke, Rhonda and I went to wake up the boys and get them out. As soon as they were out of the house, I called 911. When I walked by the kitchen, I could see fire, but the phone was away from that area so I called for help," he said.

"I’ve never had something like this happen before," he said.

The head of the household was barefoot in below-freezing temperatures when he stepped outside his house as the flames began to spread. An unidentified Austin police officer at the scene loaned Jarrett a pair of boots to wear.

The Jarretts will remain at the Days Inn through Thursday.

"Everybody has been so kind and good to us," Terry said Monday. "All you hear is the bad things that happen. Now, we’ve heard the other side of the story."

"We really appreciate the camaraderie and support people have shown us and particularly the generosity of the Mower County chapter of the American Red Cross. Everyone has been great to us and we’re thankful," he said.

The head of household said it was premature to speculate whether they will rebuild on the same lot where their home was destroyed by fire.

The Jarrett family’s home is located at the intersection of 21st Street NE (Mower County 61) and 12th Avenue near the entrance to the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

Smoke detectors help

Austin Fire Chief Dan Wilson used the Jarrett family’s fire emergency as another opportunity to remind residents of the importance of smoke alarms.

The family said they had one working smoke detector in their home, but could not remember if it signaled a fire alarm Sunday night.

Because the structure is so fragile after the extensive damage caused by the Sunday night blaze, the fire chief said investigators could not enter the remains of the dwelling to locate the alarm and had to wait until the insurance adjustor’s cause-and-origin inspector finished his work this week before visiting the interior of the shell of a home.

He also said the Austin Fire Department invites anyone to contact them at 433-3405 to have their own smoke alarms checked to verify they are working.

Also, the Smokebusters Program continues in Mower County under the auspices of the Mower County chapter of the American Red Cross.

The chapter is attempting to have a working smoke detector placed in every Mower County residence by the end of 2000.

For more information about the Smokebusters Program, interested citizens also may call Red Cross chapter headquarters at 437-4589.

– Lee Bonorden