Montrose - Daily Press

OLATHE �” The Olathe Fire Department and determined neighbors were no match for the windblown flames that destroyed the Lupe Perez residence on Hickory Road Monday night.

It wasn’t for lack of effort.

“It was horrible,” neighbor JoAnn Seymour said Tuesday. “My husband came in and he’s one of these calm, collected types. He was just white. He said ‘Lupe’s house is on fire.’”

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JoAnn and her husband, David, drove quickly to the Perez home to try to help.

David Seymour used a fire department axe to help knock down the fire, and also helped firefighters with hoses. Another neighbor, Earl Seymour, brought his back hoe down to help dismantle the blackened structure and ensure no more flames were lurking.

“When somebody needs help, it’s something you do,” David Seymour said.

The Seymours, Fire Chief Kyle St. Jean and homeowner Anna Perez all said strong winds caused the fire to quickly engulf the home. The flames also jumped the road and caught a small patch of corn stalks on fire.

The fire broke out somewhere near 7 p.m. in or near the home’s utility room. Its cause is undetermined and remains under investigation.

David Seymour said he thought the fire began on the south side of the mobile home, underneath the trailer and into its skirting. The wind was also coming from the south.

Anna Perez said she was at the residence with two of her children, a friend and the friend’s child when they started smelling smoke. When they investigated, they found a lot of smoke coming out around the washer and dryer.

“I just said, ‘Where are the children?’ They were behind us,” Perez said.

“I said, ‘Let’s get out of here.’ We just got into our cars. It was in flames within 10 minutes. It was very, very windy. We don’t know for sure what happened, because the smoke was coming from underneath. I just panicked and got into my car.”

Lupe Perez was at work at the time of the fire, his wife said, while the two other Perez children had gone to town.

The home was fully engulfed when Olathe Fire arrived, St. Jean said. He thanked the Seymours for their help.

“I had only seen one other fire before like that. The conditions were so bad out here with the wind and the dryness. I bet it was down in 10 minutes. Fortunately, they got out,” JoAnn Seymour said.

“They lost everything they’ve got,” David Seymour said. “All they’ve got is what was on their backs.”

The fire also destroyed an outbuilding where Lupe Perez kept his welding equipment.

JoAnn Seymour is working with the Perezes to establish a bank account for donations and is also soliciting donations of clothing for the family. (See related info box).

“They have nothing now,” she said. “He’s a farmer and a welder and he lost all of that equipment. It’s all gone.”

The Perezes are staying with Anna’s mother. Anna Perez said that though the home was lost, the family is OK and that’s what matters.

“I’m OK because I know that all my kids are alive,” she said. “I lost a lot of stuff that I had, but all I care about is that they’re OK.”

She thanked everyone who assisted the family.

�”�”�”

Clothing Needs

For man:

�” Men’s jeans/slacks size 32/30

�” Men’s shirts, medium

For woman:

�” Women’s jeans/slacks, size 22

�” Women’s tops, size 22

For high-school age boy:

�” Men’s jeans/slacks, size 34/32

�” Men’s shirts, large

For middle-school age boy:

�” Boys’ jeans/slacks, size 16

�” Boys’ shirts, medium

For 10-year-old girl:

�” Girls’ jeans/slacks, size 12

�” Girls’ shirts, medium

For 8-year-old boy:

�” Boys’ jeans/slacks, size 10

�” Boys’ shirts, medium

To arrange clothing donations, call JoAnn Seymour at 323-8681.

Bank account details for cash donations will be published when they are known.

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