BRUSLY —- A family is coming to terms with a complete loss of their home and belongings while they went to run some errands. The couple has lived in the home for 45 years.
It was around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 7 when neighbors on Live Oak Dr. in Brusly called 911, reporting hearing “explosions” and a large fire.
Multiple fire departments, including WBR, Baton Rouge & Plaquemine, responded to the home, that was heavily engulfed in flames. Several area law enforcement officials also assisted: WBRSO, Addis & Brusly Police. West Baton Rouge Fire Chief Butch Browning says the fire started in the back of the home and with the explosion, the fire quickly spread to the home’s attic, taking over the house.
At this time, the fire is believed to be accidental. UWK has learned the homeowner, former Brusly Councilman Don Neisler, cut the grass in the morning and put the mower away before taking his wife Mary with him to run some errands. It’s why no one was at home at the time of the fire, their granddaughter Saylor Young told UWK.
“It’s really scary, because usually my grandmother never goes to Walmart with him, and by the grace of God, she went with him that day,” Young explained.
Shortly after they left, neighbors reported hearing “explosions.”
It took nearly two hours to battle the blaze. Six firefighters were treated by medics for heat related injuries.
Young said when she saw her grandparents’ home on fire, she was devastated and had no idea it would be as bad as it looked.
“My mom called me and said that their house was on fire, and I rushed out. I really I didn’t think it would be too bad. I thought it was going to be a small fire,” she recalled. “And that’s when I turned down the street by Brown’s Chicken and I saw the black smoke, and I just was screaming. The smoke was just like something in a movie.”
“It was around 10:30 when they got the call that their house was on fire,” Young said. “So my grandfather rushed over to the house. My grandmother stayed and my brother went to go pick her up and bring her back to the house.”
No civilians were injured in the fire and homeowners were not home at the time of the time. However, the couple was watching their son and daughter-in-law’s dog while they were gone on vacation. The dog did not make it through the fire, Young said, which has added to the pain of losing everything else, too.
The family has already received an abundance of clothing and a “meal train” has been established to provide them with meals all this week, she added.
“This community has just been so amazing towards us,” she said.
The family is so grateful for the continued prayers and support pouring in from our community.
The family is also requesting any help with meal donations. Contact Young for more ways to help her grandparents.
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