Kan. Crews Help Woman Remove Burned Garage

Nov. 18--Driving back from the Salina Public Library, Marjorie Theleman saw smoke rising from the 900 block of Johnstown.

Instantly, she feared the worst.

"I knew it was at my place," said Theleman, 94.

As it turned out, the 3 p.m. Sunday fire wasn't coming from Theleman's house but from an attached 12-foot-by-16-foot garage in which she kept gardening tools, shovels and a recently purchased lawn mower.

By the time Salina firefighters had extinguished the blaze, the garage and everything in it was destroyed. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

When Salina firefighters on duty that day discovered that Theleman not only had let her insurance lapse but could not afford to have the debris removed from what was left of the garage, they decided to lend a helping hand.

"She was a little heartbroken, so we thought we could do something to help her out," said Lt. Kirk Stover, the battalion chief on duty Sunday.

The next morning, when Stover and other firefighters got off duty, they went directly to Theleman's home to clean up and remove her damaged property.

"I didn't tell Mrs. Theleman we were coming back in case it didn't work out, but I asked some guys," Stover said. "We arrived at her house at 10 a.m. (Monday) with a trailer."

Assisting Stover with the cleanup were Capt. Bryan Keeler, Capt. Bob Budke and firefighters Jesse Levin, Brady Srna and Mark Newton.

In about 30 minutes, the firefighters had loaded the blackened debris on Stover's trailer and were on their way to the city dump. Stover paid the dumping charges.

"We told her we wanted to do a nice deed for her," Stover said. "She was really grateful."

Stover said an exterior yard light that had been melted by the heat of the garage fire also was replaced free of charge.

Even though the volunteering firefighters had just finished a 24-hour shift, Stover said they didn't hesitate when asked to help remove the debris.

"It's the season," he said. "It's what we do for the community, doing something that helps someone in need."

Theleman said she let her insurance on the garage lapse because she's on a fixed income and could no longer afford the premiums. Eventually, she hopes to replace most of the gardening tools and perhaps even the garage itself.

"If I had been home, I probably would have tried to get my lawn mower out," she said. "But I'm glad no one got hurt."

Theleman said she appreciated the generosity of the firefighters.

"I thought it was a wonderful thing for them to do," she said. "I always thought they were nice before, but they seem like angels now."

-- Reporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by email at [email protected].