Third home consumed

By Catherine Amos

Published: April 15, 2008

A fire destroyed a two-story home in the South Wales subdivision Sunday morning, leaving a family homeless and in need of clothing.

According to Doug Monaco, deputy chief of Little Fork Volunteer Fire and Rescue, the fire started from a chiminea (a small, outdoor fireplace) left burning overnight on the back porch.

“When we arrived on the scene, we saw flames 40 feet in the air,” Monaco said. “The garage and roof were fully involved.”

J.B. Carter, chief of Amissville Fire and Rescue, said dispatchers received a call at about 7 a.m.

“Flames were coming out of the garage windows and heading up into the dormers,” said next-door neighbor Jerrelyn Madden. “They were pretty intensive flames. It was pretty frightening.”

It took about 40 minutes for several crews from Culpeper and Fauquier counties to get the flames under control.

Sgt. Jim Fox of the Culpeper Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded “only on an assist capacity.”

“There was nothing criminal found or to be investigated,” Fox said. “There is no connection to other fires.”

This marks the area’s third home fire in four days. On Friday afternoon, a home burned on Reva Road in the southern end of Culpeper County, and on Thursday afternoon a home caught fire in the Rochelle area of Madison County. Another fire was reported in the Merrimac South area late Monday afternoon. Those fires are still under investigation.

The South Wales house, located at 3469 Stratford Drive, is owned by Jeff Schrock. He and his three children — Carly (16), Eli (14) and Marci (11) — escaped unharmed after the smoke detector awoke them. The children are staying with their mother and Jeff is staying with a friend, Madden said.

“They all have a place to go, which is phenomenal,” she said. “Not every family has that. The family is just waiting for things to get back to normal.”

Jerrelyn and her husband, Chris, are helping the Schrock family by coordinating donations from the community. The Maddens and other neighbors helped the Schrocks clean up the house Sunday after fire crews left.

In an e-mail Monday, the Maddens said donations could be delivered to their address at 3485 Stratford Drive in Jeffersonton or by calling them at 937-3241. The Red Cross is also assisting the Schrocks and can be reached at 825-8611.

In addition to school supplies, here is a list of clothing that is needed:

Eli: Shirts (men’s small); pants (boys 16 or jeans 26/27-inch waist and 28-inch length); size 9 shoes
Marci: Shirts (girls sizes 12 to 14); jeans/pants 12 slim; size 5 ladies shoes
Carly: Shirts (ladies small); pants (ladies size 1 or 2); size 7½ ladies shoes

Catherine Amos can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or . Managing Editor Rob Humphreys contributed to this report.