April 03--Naomi Avery was at home with two sick children, an infant and two family dogs Monday afternoon when smoke detectors sounded in their two-story home in Kings Grant subdivision.
The older children, an 8-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy, were upstairs in their bedrooms in their pajamas because of flu symptoms. Their 6-month-old sister was taking her afternoon nap in another bedroom.
When the smoke detectors started sounding shortly after 2 p.m., Naomi Avery ran through the house on King Daniels Way in rural Hartwood, trying to find out what was on fire, Shannon Avery said of her sister-in-law.
She discovered that a fire had started outside the Stafford County home near the front porch.
"The entire front was on fire by the time the smoke detectors were going off," said Shannon Avery, who spoke on behalf of the family on Wednesday. "By the time it got to the point where the detectors were going off, it was huge."
Shannon Avery, who traveled from Salt Lake City after one of her nieces was killed in the fire, described the events of that day based on conversations with family members.
Naomi "immediately ran and started running the kids out the door," Avery said.
She told the older one to stay outside with her brother and to call 911.
"And then she ran back and the staircase was enflamed and was beginning to fall apart," Avery said.
Desperate to get upstairs to the baby, Naomi tried crawling up the front exterior of the house.
"She tried to scale up the [porch] roof and that's when it fell in," Avery said.
With only one staircase to the upper level, Naomi ran to the back of the house, thinking maybe she could climb up from there.
She broke the glass of the locked back door in a fight against time.
"It just happened very, very fast so she wasn't able to get there in time," Shannon Avery said.
"The whole house was gone in 10 minutes, we were told."
By the time firefighters started arriving, flames, heat and structural collapse blocked their immediate entry, Stafford County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Mark Doyle said.
"Naomi and the children watched the house fall into the basement," Shannon Avery said.
Trapped inside were 6-month-old Eleanor Mae Avery and the family's Labradoodle, Stryder.
The dog apparently never left the baby's side, Avery said. The other dog had run out with the older children.
The Stafford Fire Marshal and Sheriff's Office investigated the fire and death, announcing on Wednesday that they had concluded their investigations.
The fire was ruled "unintentional" and started near the front of the house, according to Doyle.
In a joint statement, Fire Chief Mark Lockhart and Sheriff Charles Jett called the fire "a tragic accident that has devastated the family and the entire community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family in this very difficult time."
Shannon Avery said Dirk and Naomi Avery and their four surviving children--aged 4 to 10--have been staying with friends since Monday.
Two of the older children arrived home from Margaret Brent Elementary School on Monday to find fire trucks in front of where their house once stood.
"It's traumatic," Avery said. They had nothing left but the clothes they wore and their school backpacks.
The fire destroyed the home, its contents and vehicles for a total property loss of $650,000.
A Facebook page--Avery Family Fire Relief--was set up on Wednesday to collect donations to help the family with costs not covered by insurance.
Details on a memorial service for baby Eleanor were not available Wednesday.
Shannon Avery described her niece as having a pleasant disposition and a frequent smile. "She was the best little thing," she said.
Shannon Avery said her sister-in-law is focusing her energies on seeing to the needs of her other children.
"She's doing her best to be strong, but it's going to be a while," Avery said.
"They're a close family, a very loving family, and I think they are drawing on that," Avery said, "and I think their faith, that Christ suffered not just for our sins but for our sadness, for our tragedy, and I think that truth gives them strength."
--Staff reporter Robyn Sidersky contributed to this story.
Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
HOW TO HELP
Anyone wishing to donate to the family of Naomi and Dirk Avery can visit the Facebook page "Avery Family Fire Relief."
Also, the Cavalier Family Skating Center will host a fundraiser on April 19 at 5:30 p.m. Admission fees, skate rentals and concessions will go to the family relief fund, said owner Emily Metts Garner.
Copyright 2014 - The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.
