Contributed Photo: Chris and Kristi Kelliher’s property was burned Saturday after a shed caught fire eight hours after they had burned some weeds.
By Jon Johnson
FORT THOMAS – Fire crews have been working overtime this Memorial Day weekend with two brush fires and a residential fire that took the home of another family.
Longtime teacher and EMT Chris Kelliher and his wife, Kristi, are sifting through the remains of their home in Fort Thomas after a fire Saturday afternoon devastated their property.
Chris reportedly had been burning weeds that morning around 8 a.m. and believed all embers were extinguished. Still, he said he checked on it a few times during the day and didn’t notice anything.
Around 4 p.m., however, a shed on the property had caught fire, presumably from embers blown into it by the wind.
The shed, in turn, caught a tree on fire, which enabled it to spread to another shed and then to the couple’s home. Fort Thomas, Pima, and Thatcher fire departments worked hard to extinguish the blaze, but the residence is most likely a total loss.
To add to the couple’s problems, Chris is also battling cancer.
As the couple sifts through the rubble while awaiting their insurance adjuster, family members have shared Kristi Kelliher’s PayPal account if anyone would like to help the couple with expenses. Donations can be made by clicking here.
Safford and Thatcher firefighters also knocked down two brush fires this weekend; the first occurred Saturday afternoon near the 7000 block of S. U.S. Highway 191. The second fire occurred along the Gila River south of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church on Monday morning and was controlled by the Safford Fire Department.
Video of the Memorial Day brush fire by Aerial Pilot Productions LLC
