Newton family thanks church for support after fire

When Carrie Keasling saw the remnants of an iron she had been using before her home caught on fire Sept. 13, she had a sobering realization.

“That’s when it hit me,” Keasling said. “This was all my fault.”

The fire that was called in to the Newton Fire Department at about 7:30 p.m. that evening ended up doing major damage to the home Carrie shares with her husband, Danny. It took the lives of two of their three dogs, and though no one was home and no people were injured, nearly everything in the home was destroyed.

Yet despite having to find a place to live and all that goes with her circumstances, Carrie Keasling has two things in the front of her mind: the lesson about appliance safety is a powerful one, and it’s good to be networked with a helpful and supportive group like the congregation of the Christian Life Church of Newton.

The Rev. James Miller and his wife, Janelle, not only helped provide support to the Keaslings, but their church work is only one of their vocations. The couple owns Integrity Cleaning, whose jobs often include homes damaged in ways similar to the Keasling’s residence, located at 308 W. 15th St. N.

Carrie Keasling said she stays in Des Moines to care for her grandson during the week, and she and Danny had left and were almost to Mitchellville when a neighbor called to tell them their house was on fire.

Newton Fire Marshal Mike Knoll said the house was full of smoke when firefighters arrived. The fire was contained to the basement, but the house did sustain heavy smoke damage to the main floor.

Knoll said it appears the fire started in a walk-in closet in the basement where the iron that was left plugged in and on. He estimates the damage at $150,000.

Janelle Miller and the Christian Life Church of Newton quickly used social media to help round up supplies for the couple. The Keaslings have stayed with various family members in the Des Moines area since the fire.

Carrie Keasling said she wants her experience to serve as a “public service announcement” about the dangers of appliances — especially ones that heat up.

“You have to be super careful,” she said. “Even if an iron has an automatic shutoff, double check it to make sure it’s off, has cooled off and is put away before you leave. I have read so many stories online this week about experiences like mine, where appliances weren’t even left on, but were still hot. I’m not just talking about irons, but curling irons, flat-iron hair straighteners and other things.”

While there is much to do in the months ahead, Carrie Keasling said she’s grateful her insurance agent talked her into loss coverage. Her insurance is already helping her with some of the smaller expenses.

“Thank God he did that,” she said.

All parents and grandparents second-guess themselves, she said, but a mistake with consequences of this magnitude are tough to take, she said.

“I keep asking myself, ‘What if I’d picked out a different pair of pants to wear, that didn’t need ironing?,’ ‘What if we’d left later?,’” she said. “But I could what-if forever. We just have to keep going forward.”

Carrie Keasling said the Millers have made things much easier. Through Integrity Cleaning, James and Janelle Miller have learned many of the steps homeowners must take after a fire.

“James and Janelle have been Godsends,” she said. “Having those particular individuals in our lives is such a help.”

Marley, the dog who survived the fire by being in the garage, is lonely without the two dogs who perished, Carrie Keasling said. However, Marley is also a symbol of hope, and, in some ways, a reminder that fast, compassionate help kept a rough situation from being worse.

“From the neighbor who noticed the smoke to the one who had my husband’s phone number, to those who helped us out with everything from clothes to dog food, I can’t express the gratitude we have,” Carrie Keasling said. “It is so awesome to see God’s people work together like that to help someone.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com