Jan. 23--GODFREY -- A possible electrical fire sparked a blaze Monday that heavily damaged a structure and displaced a couple already down on their luck.
Dave Dearing and his wife, Beth, were inside their apartment at 15604 U.S. Route 67 when the building, which also serves as a storage facility, caught fire about 9 a.m. Monday.
"I've had better days," Dave Dearing said.
Dearing said he and his wife escaped the blaze with their dogs and a few essentials. The building is near Ingham Lane in Jersey County, south of Delhi and halfway between Godfrey and Jerseyville.
The Brighton-Betsey Ann, Godfrey and Q.E.M. fire protection districts responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call. The Fosterburg Fire Protection District was called out to man the station in Brighton.
Brighton-Betsey Ann Fire Chief Jason Bowman said the exact cause of the fire was undetermined; however, it looked to be electrical in nature. He said the fire started in the north end of the structure.
"When we arrived, heavy flames were showing through the roof," Bowman said.
Bowman said the building, which is a 50-foot-by-100-foot pole barn, was divided into three sections, two of which were used as storage and the third as an apartment.
He said the section of the building where the fire started was a complete loss.
Fire officials still were trying to determine whether the person renting the section where the fire started had been staying there.
Bowman said there were conflicting reports as to whether anyone had been living in the storage area. He said the person renting the site was there Monday and had left the building about 7:30 a.m.
The central section of the storage facility area housed a lawnmower service operation -- Aaron's Lawn Service.
Bowman said the company lost only one piece of machinery, a zero-turn riding lawn mower.
He said the Dearings' apartment suffered little fire damage but had significant smoke and water damage.
Dearing, 45, said the fire is just part of a string of bad luck the couple has faced since last fall.
The couple moved into the apartment in September after Dearing faced several medical setbacks stemming from his diabetes. In October, Dearing was laid off from his job at Olin Corp. in East Alton, where he worked for three years, and Beth lost her job, as well.
"The day I was laid off, I had a heart attack," Dearing said.
Dearing, 45, said he felt things were back on track when he found a new job working at the Walgreens Distribution Center in Pontoon Beach.
"I wasn't supposed to be home this morning, but I changed shifts," Dearing said. "I'm glad I was, because my wife wouldn't have likely made it out if I hadn't."
Dearing said he got up to use the bathroom, and that's when he smelled smoke and woke his wife. He said the two got their dogs out, and he made sure to get his medication.
"There has been this black cloud hanging over us since last year," he said.
He said most of their belongings were damaged, and they don't have insurance.
The couple was given a two-night stay at the Comfort Inn in Alton; however, after that, Dearing said he doesn't know where they will go.
"We don't have any family, and we don't have any savings," he said.
He said medical expenses cost them most of the money they had.
"I'm not used to this," he said. "I worked at Ford Motor Company for 13 years."
He said he struggled with his diabetes for years, and he finally got an insulin pump last year.
"I hate that I had to call off (Monday,) especially since I haven't been at my new job all that long," he said. "Right now, I'm not a proud man, because any help that I could get would be greatly appreciated."
Copyright 2012 - The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.
