Fire adds more struggle to a difficult life for Concord family
Andre’ Gensburger
Fires in the Canterbury Village area of Concord are not uncommon. The older, cottage-style two-story homes with gabled roofs are prone to fire from a multitude of sources.
In the case of the McDowell family, a July 4 meal preparation quickly turned into near total destruction of their house on Joan Avenue and all that was inside.
Luckily, the family managed to escape. The family cat was not so fortunate, although a kitten was rescued. Within a minute, the house was consumed with flames generating enough heat to melt the aluminum back overhang as well as the siding on a neighbor’s property.
The McDowell house had been bought by George McDowell’s grandfather in 1961 and was occupied by George’s mother, Jennifer Birse, sister Kelli Birse, 21, and George’s son, Logan, a 14-year-old young man unlike most others his age.
“We’ve watched all the people move out of the neighborhood and all the people move into the neighborhood,” George said about the length of time they have lived there.
“You don’t really know what you have until you lose it,” Logan said, his face stained with soot as the family slowly pulled debris from the house. The possessions, memories and more were now all mangled, charred or simply ash.
A donated dumpster sits in the front of the house, already filled. There is very little left of the roof and almost all the rooms have fire damage.
Jennifer is on permanent disability, while George is on temporary disability. In May, they sustained injuries in a car accident when they were cut off on Clayton Road and crashed into a tree. On crutches for a torn meniscus as a result, George hobbles through the wreckage of the house. He plans to do as much of the work as he can when they are able to rebuild. However, they do not have the resources to rebuild.
“The house is not out of the (grandfather’s) trust,” George explained. He does not even know if there is enough insurance coverage. Damage estimates are at the $200,000 mark, including the personal effects lost.
Worse still, some things just cannot be replaced. George and Kelli were adopted by Jennifer. The ashes of Kelli’s birth mother were destroyed in the fire along with that connection.
“Right now, we all live on $1,000 a month from the disability,” George said. But make no mistake; this is not a family wallowing in self-pity or any sense of entitlement.
Neighbor Raj Kumar explained: “I’ve learned that the McDowells are a sincere, kind and giving family that have suffered life circumstances on many levels,” he said. “Despite these adversities, at 14, Logan has a mature sophistication and a sense of generosity that most adults do not exhibit, let alone comprehend.”
Logan and his family believe strongly in giving back. As part of those exercises in humility and thankfulness, Logan went up and down the street mowing the neighbors’ lawns at no charge just to say thanks for their kindness. He also volunteers at the Concord VFW each Sunday and smiles with pride at the opportunity rather than the gain.
Jennifer received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Concord City Council in 1999 for work at the Family Stress Center. Her philosophy of life is to be helpful and not demanding.
George had coached the Jr. Optimist Babe Ruth Baseball League for more than six years. There is no coaching until he has knee surgery, although there is no timeframe for that.
While the neighborhood has banded together to help this family, visibly they need much more assistance. Yet they remain upbeat, happy to stop and chat with neighbors, asking for nothing and grateful for the chance to get to know them better even during these circumstances.
Logan lost all his baseball gear in the fire. Sports Basement offered to replace it for him. Logan has been accepted into the Clayton Valley Public Service Academy in the fall when he starts high school as a freshman. He is excited at the opportunity.
The family’s main concern right now is their roof. With most of it burned away, they are in need of lots of wood to sheath over and shore up the framework so that some rebuilding can take place. At the least, they will be able to live inside the house at the lower level rather than a tent.
To that end, they hope that anyone with leftover wood or other building materials might donate them.
For now, a large cardboard sign over the window thanks their neighbors and their friends for being there. “The neighbors have been great,” George said. “Concord has been great. We’re very lucky.”
A PayPal site for donations has been set up at http://tinyurl.com/FireReliefFund or they may be mailed to the McDowell Family, c/o Thompson, P.O. Box 5545, Concord CA 94521. Wells Fargo Bank has set up a trust for the family. The account number is 7913288846.
