House fire sends family into cold

Roxanne McKnight with The Meteor

A house fire in Madisonville early Friday morning drove a mother and her two teenage children from their home.

Madisonville volunteer firefighters were called to a fire in the 600 block of Bacon Street about 12:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 5. Firefighters got to the house within minutes of the call and were able to extinguish the blaze in about 30 minutes.

Fire Chief Thom Jones said the fire appeared to have started from an electrical short in a window unit air conditioner. Danita Comer and her 17-year-old son and 20year-old daughter were renting the house. They escaped safely.

The homeowners are James and Brenda Reno of Madison County. One of Comer’s neighbors, who also rents from the Renos, called them about 1 a.m., and the couple went to the scene, though the fire was out when they arrived.

Later Friday morning, the Renos returned to examine the house, shaking their heads in somber silence as they looked at the blackened timbers and walls, and the open roof through which the sky could now be seen.

The Renos said they built the house themselves in 1981 for James’ parents. After his parents died, the Renos began to rent out the house to others. The couple, now elderly themselves, depend on the rental income to help support themselves. Brenda Reno said that because the insurance payments were high, they had cancelled the insurance on the house.

“This morning I felt like one of those people who lost a lot of their money in the stock market,” she said.