Electrical Issue Eyed in Denham Springs, LA, Fire that Claimed Three
The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.
(TNS)
After a tragic house fire Saturday morning, a tight-knit Denham Springs family spent the day mourning three lost loved ones and recovering family mementos from the home's still-warm ashes.
James Garrett, 96, his great-granddaughter, 22-year-old Kirsten Vidrine, and her best friend, 20-year-old Danielle Ricard, died in the blaze.
Amanda Broussard, Vidrine's aunt and Garrett's granddaughter, said the three were trapped as the house burned.
“There was no way for them to physically get out,” Broussard said.
She believes flames blocked the path from their bedrooms to the front or back doors.
Vidrine's father, James Vidrine, was able to crawl to safety out the house's back door. He was in a hospital burn unit Saturday afternoon, his family said.
The home, which has been in the family for nearly 60 years, caught fire around 6 a.m. and was almost completely burned to the ground.
The Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire, but family members said they were told it was electrical in nature and started in the living room near the home's southern corner.
Neighbors said it was too hot to even step onto the yard when the fire was still burning.
One car in the driveway was reduced to a burned chassis. James Vidrine's truck, which was parked further back, had the plastic on the front headlights and grill melted by the heat.
Wooden benches, made by James Vidrine for his son's upcoming wedding, sat in the front yard. Their sides facing the house were charred.
Always together
Vidrine was in her second year at Southeastern Louisiana University on a path to study law. She was the first of her cousins to go to college, her aunt said.
She was described as no-nonsense and deeply loving to those close to her.
“She did not hold her tongue for nobody. If she liked you, she liked you, if she didn't, you could tell. Her face said it all for her,” Amanda Broussard said. “She was just one of those people. She wasn't fake … She was there for anybody and everybody. If she loved you, she was there for you. She loved you hard.”
Vidrine was also a fan of F1 racing, said her cousin Trent Broussard. She often would get up early to watch races held on European courses and broadcast at 1 or 2 a.m. in Louisiana. Her favorite team was McLaren.
“A lot of her little collectible cars and little action figures made it,” Trent Broussard said.
Almost everything hanging on the walls of the house was burned, but the family was able to recover some photos and documents.
A pet bearded lizard was also recovered alive, while a cat died in the fire.
Vidrine and Ricard were best friends and basically inseparable, their loved ones said. Only hours before the fire, the two had just returned from a night out together.
Ricard even called Vidrine's parents Mom and Dad.
“She was family, so she could open the door any moment. She didn't, never had to knock, never had to say she was coming over,” said Janett Broussard, Trent Broussard's wife and Ricard's friend. “I know she was studying to be EMS, going to school. I think she was almost finished with that. We actually found her bag with all her schoolwork in there.”
Janett Broussard described Ricard as down to earth, but with a big personality like Kirtsen Vidrine. She said the two were twin flames.
“They were both very sweet and always together,” Janett Broussard said. “Even in their last moments, they were together, and that was very in character for them. You would always see them together.”
Amanda Broussard said her grandfather, James Garrett, was the last of his 13 siblings. The house on Wanda Avenue was his and had long been a family gathering place for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“I don't think we'll rebuild,” she said. “It's been in the family for so long, and we all wanted to keep it in the family. But, after this, I don't know if they'll want to.”
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