Man awakes to porch afire

ERATH - At around 8 p.m. Sunday, Kevin Porter was sleeping in the front bedroom when he awoke and smelled smoke. He got up and began searching the house for the source of the smoke smell.

Walking through the house he noticed it was full of smoke but he did not see a fire. Porter walked outside to his front porch and saw the flames.

“I don’t smoke, so it must have been something burning,” Porter said. “I could see smoke coming from the porch.”

The front of his house was on fire, so he ran to the back of his house for the water hose.

By the time he arrived back to the front of the house with the water hose, the entire front of the house was on fire.

His water hose was going to do little to put out of the fire.

In the mean time, his wife Susan and their daughter Alicia went to Abbeville to get something to eat and had no idea what was happening until they received a phone call.

A neighbor called Susan to let her know about the fire. They rushed home to see the entire house engulfed.

Within minutes area volunteer fire departments, along with the Abbeville fire department, were on hand to battle the fire.

The fire departments remained at the Porter home, located at 13905 Harrington Street, until midnight.

The Porters had only lived in their home for three months. They had purchased the house and moved it to its present location.

The Porters lived in a mobile home which was located behind their new home for six years.

On Monday, they were moving back into their old trailer despite lack of furniture and clothes.

Someone donated a washer and dryer and they planned to sleep on an air mattress.

Susan and Kevin were in the same clothes they wore on Sunday night

They had not been in their burned home yet because they were advised to stay out until the state fire marshal had investigated their home.

Erath High School donated school uniforms to their 16 year old daughter, who also lost everything.

“We have lost a lot but we have been blessed because of friends and family who have helped us,” said Susan.

If anyone wants to donate anything to the Porters, they can be reached at 412-0234.