Samaritans offer help after fire guts home
Staff writer
Fire in a garage across the street from St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Pilsen spread to the rest of the house Thursday.
Lillie Vinduska, who owns the home at Remington Rd. and 275th St., stood stunned as firefighters from Lincolnville, Marion, Hillsboro, Lost Springs, and Ramone fought the fire for hours.
Vinduska knew what caused it — “a stupid extension cord,” she said.
Lincolnville assistant fire chief Kevin Shields said 23 firefighters were present.
Firefighters helped extinguish the blaze. It took about 45 minutes to knock it down and several more hours to deal with hot spots.
When one of her four cats took off, that was Vinduska’s first warning.
“The cat ran away, and I looked up to see smoke,” she said.
Vinduska was able to escape with her purse and what she was wearing, leaving her cell phone behind.
“I grabbed the landline, but my cell phone burned up,” she said.
Vinduska said she used the extension cord to provide heat for her chickens. She also realizes the home is a total loss.
“We probably will have to tear it down,” she said
At about 11:20 a.m., she called 911. She was disappointed that firefighters from the departments of Marion and Lincolnville didn’t arrive until 30 minutes after she thought she called.
However, Shields said the first firefighters arrived at 11:36 a.m., 16 minutes after the call.
Smoke coming from an attic was a concern, he said.
“We spent a lot of time accessing the attic space,” Shields said. “It took most of our time.”
The community reached out after.
Vinduska’s boss at Hillsboro schools arrived and told her not to worry about coming to work He then gave her an envelope filled with money.
Other members of the public stopped to donate. One brought litter for the cats.
St. Luke Auxiliary Thrift Shoppe offered to assist her in replenishing what she lost.
“People here are so helpful,” she said. “Everyone is giving us money.”
A nearby neighbor offered Vinduska use of her vacant home.
She will be moving to the old Kapaun house in Pilsen which she also owns.
Her top and immediate concern is for her four cats. Angel Grace, a gray tabby cat, is still missing.