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Palm Coast House Fire Destroys Home of Ex-Marine and Family

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on March 22, 2017

Due to circumstances that are still under investigation, the house of an ex-Marine in Palm Coast was destroyed in a fire that began in the home’s garage because of an issue with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. According to a statement given by Robert Detherow, ex-Marine and homeowner, the fire began shortly after he returned from a drive that he and his young daughter had taken with the Harley.

Parking the bike in his garage, Detherow noticed that it was making some unusual noises. Thinking that perhaps it was low on fuel, Detherow decided to add additional gas to the tank. At this point, Detherow’s 14-year-old son, Riley, began to yell for his father to watch out because there were flames shooting from the bike. Detherow, who had somehow not noticed that his motorcycle was on fire, leapt away from the vehicle before beginning to try and combat the flames. Unfortunately, the fire began to spread rapidly throughout the garage, becoming impossible to battle and increasingly dangerous.

Riley, a quick-thinking youth, ran to the house to rescue his sister, the dogs, and the family cats, herding all the living creatures outside and onto the lawn while their father began the devastating and bewildering process of trying to pull various valuables from the home before the fire could claim them. The fire burned hotter and hotter, and soon the entire roof of the master bedroom had been eaten away by the flames. Detherow firmly believes that if had not been for his son’s fast response that a lot more would have been lost than simply the home.

As it is, the entire building was destroyed. The Detherow’s are attempting to sift through the ashes and other wreckage to find anything worth keeping, but those who have suffered from similar experiences know just how difficult it is to reclaim something once it has been saturated by the thick plumes of black smoke that a fire creates.

Thankfully, no one was injured as a result of the incident, and the fire was contained to the one building. As they search for a new home, the Detherow family is living in an RV that a generous friend has loaned to them.

James O. Cunningham

James O. CunninghamSince 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.

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