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Willcox family coping after losing home, business to fire
Carol Broeder/Wick Communications
A Willcox-area family is struggling to rebuild their lives after an accidental fire destroyed their home and business.
The Kansas Settlement Store burned to the ground last Tuesday morning in what is believed to be an electrical fire.
Emilio Cornejo and his family are living with family members in Benson, where he has also found a part-time job. They are currently looking for a place to rent in the Kansas Settlement area.
"We are doing better," Cornejo said.
Those who want to help can go to Compass Bank in Willcox, where an account has been set up to benefit the family of two adults and three children.
Family friends Laurie Smallwood and Geri Miller, both of Willcox, are trying to help out by collecting items the family needs.
"The insurance is going to take a long time," Smallwood said last week. "We've gotten a lot of clothing and blankets, which is good," she said. "There are still just a lot of needs, like furniture, dishes, pots and pans."
The family has two girls ages 6 and 13, as well as a 9-year-old boy. Needed items may be dropped off at the home of Geri Miller, at 8331 S. Kansas Settlement Road. Miller's phone number is (520) 384-2006, and Smallwood can be reached at (520) 254-5412.
"A lot of people have been stopping by and asking what they can do," said Smallwood, adding, "It's bad enough losing your home or business, but to lose everything at once is devastating."
Cornejo said that he had opened the store at about 7 a.m. last Tuesday, when "one of the farmers came in and said to me, "You'd better get out. You've got a fire coming out of the roof."
"I went and looked outside, then went in the house and woke up my wife. We had one minute to take things out," said Cornejo.
Fortunately, the Cornejo's three children had taken the bus to school minutes earlier.
Carol Broeder is a reporte at the Arizona Range News in Willcox
A Willcox-area family is struggling to rebuild their lives after an accidental fire destroyed their home and business.
The Kansas Settlement Store burned to the ground last Tuesday morning in what is believed to be an electrical fire.
Emilio Cornejo and his family are living with family members in Benson, where he has also found a part-time job. They are currently looking for a place to rent in the Kansas Settlement area.
"We are doing better," Cornejo said.
Those who want to help can go to Compass Bank in Willcox, where an account has been set up to benefit the family of two adults and three children.
Family friends Laurie Smallwood and Geri Miller, both of Willcox, are trying to help out by collecting items the family needs.
"The insurance is going to take a long time," Smallwood said last week. "We've gotten a lot of clothing and blankets, which is good," she said. "There are still just a lot of needs, like furniture, dishes, pots and pans."
The family has two girls ages 6 and 13, as well as a 9-year-old boy. Needed items may be dropped off at the home of Geri Miller, at 8331 S. Kansas Settlement Road. Miller's phone number is (520) 384-2006, and Smallwood can be reached at (520) 254-5412.
"A lot of people have been stopping by and asking what they can do," said Smallwood, adding, "It's bad enough losing your home or business, but to lose everything at once is devastating."
Cornejo said that he had opened the store at about 7 a.m. last Tuesday, when "one of the farmers came in and said to me, "You'd better get out. You've got a fire coming out of the roof."
"I went and looked outside, then went in the house and woke up my wife. We had one minute to take things out," said Cornejo.
Fortunately, the Cornejo's three children had taken the bus to school minutes earlier.
Carol Broeder is a reporte at the Arizona Range News in Willcox
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antonebraga wrote on Feb 11, 2010 11:15 AM:
Insurance policyholders, and more importantly disaster survivors, need to be informed of access to equality--basic rights and information. The internet reaches far more people than anyone would have ever imagined, though difficult to gather those willing to pause, to inspect, to further...to think on their own. And yet, much is available gratis! It just takes looking: disasterprepared.net/info.html "