ASHTABULA — A family of four lost their trailer home to a fast-moving fire Sunday night in the Willo Arms trailer park, leaving the family to watch helplessly as flames engulfed and gutted their living space.
Dinner was in the oven and the kids were playing video games when Bonnie Bryant heard a strange clicking noise..
“I heard the electrical breaker clicking and right away I knew something was wrong,” Bryant said.
Ashtabula Fire Department personnel rushed to the Bryant home at 1759 Blue Jay Circle to douse what Bryant said was an electrical fire.
“As soon as we saw smoke coming from out of the heat registers, we got out,” Bonnie Bryant said. “We grabbed the dog and ran.”
Son Jacob Bryant ran so fast he only had time to put on one shoe. Husband Todd Bryant grabbed the cellular telephone chargers.
Ashtabula Fire Lt. Shawn Gruber said the trailer sustained significant damage, though the official cause of the fire is still unknown. The fire is under investigation, and firefighters worked at the scene for a little more than an hour, he said.
As she watched the red and blue emergency lights of police and fire vehicles flash around her neighborhood, Bonnie Bryant realized her loss.
“We don’t have any insurance,” she sobbed softly. “And now everything is gone.”
Bonnie Bryant said she is grateful her children and pet were unharmed, and said she and her husband will work to rebuild their lives.
“It’s just those things you can’t replace,” she said. “Like my wind chimes that have my mother and father’s ashes in them. You can’t replace those things and those are the things you worry about when you are standing here watching all of this happen.”
Ironically, Todd Bryant works for Service Master cleaning and restoration. He drove the company van home from work Sunday because the family car broke down on Saturday.
Bonnie Bryant is the bar manager at the Eagles Club on Center Street in Ashtabula, where donations of clothing and household items can be dropped off for the family.
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