A grandmother, her three visiting grandchildren, and family pets escaped injury in just their pajamas and coats when a fire destroyed a rural Shelbyville home Tuesday morning.
Charlene Ditto, owner of the Gregory Resort on Lithia Marina road, 1500N, discovered the fire shortly before 9 a.m., woke her visiting grandchildren and escaped to a neighbor’s home. Her husband, Chuck, was in Terre Haute, IN.
“When I got up, I noticed the answering machine light on my telephone was not lit. I went into the office and the power went off,” Ditto said. “I went to reset the circuit breakers and when I came back I could smell smoke and hear crackling in the walls. Then I saw flames.”
Thick smoke from the fire could be seen several miles away.
“When I saw the smoke, I knew I needed more help,” said Shelbyville Fire Chief Gary Lynch. Mutual help was provided by Windsor, Tower Hill, Stewardson and Strasburg fire departments.
The home and its contents were a total loss, including the grandchildren’s clothing and Christmas gifts.
The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.
Santa visited the grandchildren Tuesday afternoon with some gifts from the Angel of Love program.
The Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family.
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