By Patrick Richardson
Cherokee County News Advocate – December 9, 2013
A Galena woman is homeless after an afternoon fire Saturday.
According to Galena Fire Chief Bill Hall, at about 12:30 p.m. Patty Rea of 503 E. 5th in Galena, noticed a fire which she said started near her dryer in the laundry area.
Rea left the house and went to a neighbor’s where she called the fire department.
Firefighters from both Galena and Baxter Springs were on scene for several hours attempting to put out the blaze.
The house was a total loss.
“She lost everything,” Hall said. “She had no insurance.”
Hall said they were able to retrieve her car keys, but said that cold temperatures hampered efforts to fight the fire.
“We had to pull the walls in to try to put it out,” he said, adding that the cold caused firefighters to lose pressure in one hydrant and they were forced to pump water from tanks.
Hall said the fire was already in the attic by the time firefighters arrived.
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