it is my hope that folks who have worthy items left over from yard sales and/or items here on the 'for sale' forum that do not sell will remember this resident when they are wondering what to do with their stuff.

also hoping that those who are doing the drive-bys [1014 matthew ave] might consider leaving a generic gift card with a neighbor when there - am sure she needs personal basic items at this point; and will need much more in the future. if a re-building fund is not started before we leave, I think i'll just mail a contribution to the resident's mailbox.

my heart goes out to dorothy! she just bought the house about 18 mos ago and has been making it her own ever since! [married to an ex-fire chief/fire fighter I have learned that fire is my greatest fear!] her neighbor shared with me this morning that what I thought was a muffled cart back-fire was probably the electrical system popping just before the flames erupted.

I hope to speak with Dorothy before we fly north in a few weeks - will keep all totv'ers posted with any news that comes my way.

If there is a fund set up, please let everyone know. Villagers stick together. What are her immediate needs, what can we bring, and to whom do we give it?

Just to let you all know, there is NO gas on the old side of TV so it wasn't from lightening.

Since when do you require gas for lightning to cause a fire?

I figured that if some one wanted to send a check to her address/mailbox the check would require her correct name.

mayor - gift cards do not require a name; and even mail sent to resident with a proper address gets stuffed into a mailbox. I was trying to be sensitive to the grief this woman is experiencing by not revealing her name and because I do not have permission to do so.

I will be deleting my post with said info - I hope you will do the same.

I drove past that house last night. Thank God she got out with her little dog in time! What a tragedy!! I will have to help her out as best I can.

I think my reference was to sending a check not a gift card but I could be wrong. As for the name it is public record.

I met Diane the owner of the house for the first time today. She told me the insurance adjuster will be out Tuesday, she needs to find out from the TV what her replacement options are, the cost of said options, she needs to find a place to live, replace her glasses that went up in smoke. Oh, she did say it was an electrical fire.

The insurance company said they will remove the charred remains at no cost to her and if she gets the max insurance amount which she will find out Tuesday she will have $15,000 to replace everything and she needs a place to live in the interim.

You do the numbers, she needs help.

Diane Kiefer, 1014 MATTHEW AVE THE VILLAGES, FL 32159

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...ps9b5b4574.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...psbbcf2c3d.jpg

Thank you. One picture is worth a thousand words. I am sure help will be forthcoming.

Try not to take this the wrong way, why would a fund be set up if she had insurance?

Although the financials - including what anyone would want to offer in the way of help to her - are really not anyone's business, I'm really surprised she didn't have insurance on her contents. The $15,000 was most likely for the value of the trailer. You don't insure the lot, which btw, in that area is probably valued at $20,000 to $25,000.

maybe because $15,000 won't go very far and because villagers are very caring people and understand that one day it could happen to them?

Are you saying that this unfortunate woman has nothing to worry about because she will receive $15,000 to replace everything she owns, including her home? What planet do you two live on?

Thank God the woman and her little dog were not home when this horrible event happened. It is so sad.