Colchester, VT. - Four separate Vermont families are recovering from devastating fires that happened this weekend.
Flames leapt 30 to 40 feet above a Colchester garage that ignited early Sunday morning.
"I looked out the window and this, my neighbor's house, just, it was terrible," neighbor Guy LaBelle said.
LaBelle's teenage son and two friends called 9-1-1 when they saw the flames around 3 am. LaBelle says they were just in time to save a man who was sleeping in the house next to the garage.
"If it wasn't for the kids I don't think Joe would be here right now," LaBelle said.
The fire completely destroyed the barn, two cars, and the siding of a neighboring house, as well as nearly all the belongings of a young engaged couple who were living there.
From one disaster to another...
A West Berlin home went up in flames early Saturday morning. The Red Cross says the husband of the home-owner died the week before, and family were in town for his funeral when the building caught on fire. Seven people were left homeless for the weekend.
And two more fires struck homes in Southern Vermont, one in Woodstock, and one in Chester. The Red Cross responded to all of them.
"These circumstances, they vary from case to case, all of them tragic," Chief Operating Officer for the American Red Cross in Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley, Doug Bishop said.
Bishop says these fires are part of a disturbing pattern.
"In the average year in our region we see perhaps 110, 115 responses, most of those house fires. We still have two months left in our fiscal year and we've already passed that number," Bishop said.
He is not sure what is causing the trend. But, he does know that means the Red Cross is stretching its resources to help.
"What the Red Cross does in our communities is a volunteer effort. So, we are always asking folks to volunteer their time and energy. We welcome anyone to contact us."
To find out how you can volunteer or donate click here.
