Welch’s house in Beaver area is destroyed by fire

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The Welch home, destroyed by fire Friday, February 19, is located in Evangeline Parish at the parish line. The family has an Oakdale address but is probably closer to Glenmora than the other communities.
Billy and Marilyn Welch had been days without electricity, Marilyn explained. They had been using the home’s fireplace for light and heat. Billy decided on Friday after four days straight, it was time to hook up the generator. They had used the generators during the hurricane.
She said he plugged in the generator and went through the house to check on everything. At first, she said everything looked okay. However, she said after a minute, there was smoke coming out a bedroom. She said her husband ran to the bathroom and grabbed a bucket of water and threw it on the fire. But on his third trip, he realized the fire was hot and spreading.
Marilyn had walked to her daughter’s house. Her daughter lives on one side of their pond, and it is in walking distance.
“He had to drop to the floor and crawled out,” she said. “He jumped in the pickup cause it was faster. He hollered to call 9-1-1.”
Her daughter’s boyfriend went with Billy to help fight the fire. She had to explain to the 9-1-1 operator, that their house is on Welch Lane with a double digit because many have confused addresses in the area.
About 5 p.m.. Fire Chief Shawn Aucoin, Beaver-Cypress Volunteer Fire Department and part of Evangeline Parish Ward Four Fire District, said they responded to the scene. He said the house was at the end of the road and at the end of their district in a wooded area.
They used 12,000 gallons to battle the blaze, but he said they couldn’t save the structure. He said they were on the scene, along with the Pine Prairie Fire Department, until 2 a.m. battling hot spots. He added Acadian Ambulance also responded in case they were needed.
He said there was no power to the house, and when they hooked up the generator a spark must have ignited the fire. He reminded residents to be careful with generators when power outages occur and to plug heaters directly in the wall during cold days and not on extension cords. “Keep heaters away from curtains.”
Aucoin said they are not sure the direct cause of the fire. The Welch’s home was destroyed. They have no insurance.
Marilyn said a couple of days before the fire, they did notice the ice was melting on the roof. She said it wasn’t bad, and they knew they would have to repair it. The bedroom had been part of a porch at one time, and she believes the weight of the ice and snow may have cause the leak. She said maybe the leak allowed water into the ceiling and walls and caused an electrical shortage when the generator was plugged in and utilized. She said if the electricity had been on, the situation probably would have been the same.
“We are both safe and now we start over,” she said. “We take everything as it comes one day at a time!”
Marilyn said she likes to wear these particular shirts to work. (She’s part-time at H&R Block but she worked 42 years for Oakdale Drug.) She contacted the website and was telling them what happened and she needed to replace her shirts. They asked her to write what happened, and they posted it to their website. People have been donating money and shirts to her.
“This has uplifted me. There are people out there who don’t know you but really care and are willing to help. Some cleaned out their closets to share and some gave gift cards.”
She said many friends and family members have offered places for them to stay - offered furniture, household items and clothes. She said it is so nice, people care. She thinks they will stay with her father in Pine Prairie for a little while until they can save enough to move back to the property.
“Billy has some cows and likes to be near them.”
She said they would probably look for a used trailer in nice condition to put on their property after the remains of the house are cleared away.
She thanked everyone who helped. She said they did everything they could, but it was too much. She said her husband is buying a fire extinguisher. She also encouraged people to know their area to give to authorities in emergencies.
“People have come together for us,” she said. “Never take it for granted, because it can be fine one day and all gone the next! We didn’t have insurance, but we are going to survive this and be stronger for it!”