Orlando Sentinel
UMATILLA, Fla. — Firefighter Stacy Bilz of Umatilla is used to bursting into burning homes, rummaging through charred wreckage looking to save lives and belongings while comrades hose down flames.
Instead, the 43-year-old was caught on the other side Saturday night when a bolt of lightning struck his home, causing a fire that caused unsalvageable destruction. Lake County firefighters who responded were able to go inside briefly and grab sentimental things including his wife Debi’s wedding dress, their wedding album and baby photos of their two grown children.
“Being on the other side of things now, I’m just so grateful to these Lake County guys for going in and trying to save what they did,” said the eight-year veteran of neighboring Marion County Fire Rescue. “It’s really overwhelming going through this.”
Bilz said he and Debi, 43, were in Tampa when neighbors alerted him of the fire about 6:30 p.m. The couple had left their two German shepherds, Chief and Morgan, at home. Bilz said he heard the dogs barking while talking to a neighbor on the phone. Another neighbor grabbed a brick from their patio and hurled it through a window, saving the pooches.
The fire tore through the roof and broke most of the windows. Fire and water damage was heavy, he said.
In the aftermath of the fire, Bilz said said firefighters and others from Lake and Marion counties helped the couple sort through their charred belongings and salvage some things.
“Firefighters help other firefighters, and we’re not immune to having something terrible like this happen to us,” Lake County Fire Chief John Jolliff said. “They know what it’s like after a fire and of course want to help.”
A GoFundMe page was created to raise money to help the family recover from the fire has raised more than $6,000. Family members have been staying with friends while trying to figure out a temporary living situation.
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