In one county, two costly fires
In Jackson County, two costly fires
By Hailey R. Branson
Published: June 20, 2008
ALTUS — A mother and her two children are dead and a church is destroyed after two Jackson County fires Wednesday and Thursday.
Advertisement
Altus church destroyed
The First Christian Church of Altus was destroyed after a fire officials believe was started by lightning about 3 a.m. Thursday.
No injuries were reported.
The burned-out church, built in 1950, was an estimated $1.2 million loss, said Altus Assistant Fire Chief Rick Mealer. Contents inside the building were an additional $250,000 in losses.
Firefighters were en route to a house fire also believed to have been caused by lightning when they noticed the church fire. Mealer said the house had little damage.
The Rev. Jim Brown, the church's pastor, said the church's records and artifacts were destroyed.
A few church members have photos and some historical items, but other than those, there were no backups, he said.
"When you watch your office with years and years of mementos and collections and you know what's in there you can't replace, there's a little bit of a sinking feeling — a heart loss there — but you realize it's all things that are going to be temporal on Earth anyway,” he said.
Brown, who has been the senior pastor for nearly five years, said there has been an outpouring of support for his church. The congregation, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in September, has about 100 members.
"The church is a congregation of people, and that part is still intact,” said Phil Carson, a church member for more than 50 years and chairman of the church's property committee.
"When we can get things reorganized, we'll keep on trucking.”
Church leaders, including Carson, met Thursday evening to determine where the congregation will worship Sunday.
The church will receive aid from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma, the denomination's regional organization, said the Rev. Thomas R. Jewell, regional pastor.
Jewell said all 173 Oklahoma congregations affiliated with the Disciples of Christ have been alerted to the situation and have been asked for financial assistance and prayers.
Olustee fire claims mother, sons
An electric problem with a window air-conditioning unit is believed to have started the fire that destroyed the one-story house at 502 I St., said Dave Brown, Olustee fire chief.
The fire was called in at 10:59 a.m. Wednesday. The house was destroyed.
Laura Marez and her sons, Elijah Molina, 2, and Eliasar Marez, 4, died of smoke inhalation, said Kevin Rowland, chief investigator for the medical examiner's office.
The bodies were not discovered until after the fire was extinguished. It is believed Marez and her sons lived alone.
Brown said he thinks the three were asleep when the fire was reported. They were found in a bathroom on the opposite end of the house from a bedroom. It appeared they were trying to escape through a window in the bathroom.
The house had no smoke detectors, said JoAnne Sellars, operations chief for the state fire marshal.
Brown said Marez's father lives next door to the house and tried to go into the house through several entrances but could not because the fire was too hot. Most of Marez's family live on the same block, and several family members were present as the house burned.
Brown, whose daughter was in the same school class as Laura Marez, said that because Olustee is so small, Marez was well-known.
"Everyone's got the same sense of loss,” he said.
Prev
