LYSANDER -- There is a push underway to help a local family whose home was destroyed by fire last week. It was just one week ago, last Tuesday afternoon on Oswego Street, when life would take an unexpected turn for the Frantz family. Everything happened so fast. "I wasn't even thinking. At that point, it was just trying to get my kids out of the house," said Charlene Frantz.
She was playing with her kids, her husband was at work, when fire broke out in a back bedroom. Fire investigators blame a breaker box for sparking the flames. Charlene and her three kids got out safely, then stood by helplessly and watched as their home went up in flames. "I'm just thinking, there's everything we own, all our lives, all our memories," Frantz said.
At the same time, Dave King just happened to be driving by. "I saw a home that was blowing smoke out and I didn't think it was right so I went by and turned around and come back," King said.
He let Charlene and her kids warm up in his car, then called his wife Michelle. She and her mother Deborah Pinker were so touched by the story that they became bound and determined to help. "It was just that they lost everything that they owned and the children was going to go without Christmas basically," Pinker said.
They've already donated a bedroom set and hope others will give too to help a family without insurance who's lost everything and must now start all over again. "It's really nice to have a family like this because they're an amazing group of people," Frantz said.
This family is in desperate need of clothes, baby supplies, towels, sheets and toys for Christmas. Sizes needed are 12-18 months girl clothes, 3T-4T girls clothes, 24mo.-2T boys clothes, Men's 36W 36L pants, L/XL men's shirts, L-XL women's shirts, size 14 women's pants.
If you would like to donate to the Frantz family, please send items to:
Charlene Frantz
30 State Street
Phoenix, NY 13135
