Helping A Neighbor Through A Catastrophic Loss

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

A group of Moapa Valley friends and neighbors are banding together to come to the aid of a local family that has fallen on hard times. They are asking the community for help as well.

Overton resident Anna Watson and her daughter Hannah, lost their home to a fire on Sunday evening, April 16. According to Moapa Valley Fire District Chief Stephen Neel, the fire that started while the occupant was cooking food in the kitchen, quickly spread to the walls of the structure and eventually destroyed the single-wide mobile home on Scott Ave.

The alarm went out at 8:58 pm that evening, just as many of the local firefighters were ending a long week of providing emergency medical services at the Clark County Fair, Neel said.

Despite being tired from the week’s activities, firefighters rushed to the scene and began fighting the blaze with water stored in the tanks of their brush truck and water tender. The effort soon slowed down because there was no fire hydrant near the home. Firefighters had to begin shuttling water from a 2-inch standpipe that was in the area.
“Going back and forth for water, it took about 20 minutes for us to get the fire under control,” Neel said.

The fire brought a total loss of property to the Watson family. Fortunately, Anna and some houseguests who were there at the time were able to escape the blaze. Her daughter, Hannah was away at college up in Reno at the time of the fire.

It didn’t take long before community members began gathering resources trying to help the family through this trial.
“They have lost everything,” said family friend and local resident Terry Holzer in an interview last week with The Progress. “They are basically homeless. They didn’t have homeowners insurance so there was nothing to cover the loss. They just suddenly went to having nothing all in one night.”

Holzer said that she had put together some clothing to give to Anna to meet some immediate needs. But she, and a few other neighbors, are sending out a call for help from the community.
“We are organizing a local fundraiser to help Anna and Hannah try to rebuild their lives,” Holzer said. “Any help would be appreciated.”

The family does own the two acres where the home was located. So Holzer mentioned that if a community member happens to have an older modular home, either single- or double-wide, that is not in use anymore, it could be donated to the family to be set up on the parcel.
“Anything is better than what they have now,” Holzer said.

In addition, the family will need help and equipment in removing the charred debris from the property, Holzer said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up at www.gofundme.com/f/help-watsons-after-fire-destroys-home where donations can be made. A total goal of $25,000 has been set and, as of the end of last week, about $1,500 had already been raised.

Donations can also be made by depositing to AFCU account #9126640 in the name of Anna Franick-Watson. The family receives 100 percent of money deposited for them in that account.