A fire at a four-plex residential structure in Eagles Nest, which is located near Skyline Drive on the north side of the Wimberley Valley, left three women and a 12-year-old child homeless Saturday evening.
“As units arrived on location, we were able to confirm it was a structure fire in a four-unit multifamily housing complex,” Christopher Robbins, Assistant Fire Chief for the Wimberley Fire Department, said. “We had two units fully involved… Our crew began a fast attack on the fire, and we were able to confine it to those two apartments. Granted, there is smoke damage to the other two units because the building had a common attic space, but we were able to keep fire off of the other units and save 50% of the property.”
Robbins said that they believe the fire started due to electrical issues, but it is still under investigation.
The damage left Karin Voorhies, Brandy Yuracka and Zane Liston without a home. On Monday morning, Ruth Mince and Madonna Kimball of My Neighbors Keeper met with them and gave them each a check to cover some of their immediate needs.
The donation came at a somber time for the local nonprofit organization as well as the memorial for founder Tom Keyser, who passed away on September 17 from injuries sustained in a car accident, was held on Sunday night.
Keyser came up with the idea for My Neighbors Keeper and enlisted the help of Kimball, Jamie Clark and Tom Jones in setting up a fundraiser for Bastrop and Smithville during the time of the wildfires in 2011.
After raising $25,000 at the fundraiser, and giving $20,000 to Bastrop and Smithville, Keyser realized the need for immediate, short term funding in the Wimberley Valley for victims of a natural disaster and the group started My Neighbors Keeper with $5000 of the proceeds from the fundraiser.
Since 2013, My Neighbors Keeper has given more than $450,000 back to residents of the Wimberley community as a result of home fires and during the 2015 devastating flood.
My Neighbors Keeper is a 501(c)(3). All donations go to fire and flood victims in need in the Wimberley community. Donations can be made to MyNK at Ozona Bank to account #10050131 or by check to MyNK, PO Box 1532, Wimberley, TX 78676.
To donate directly to Brandy Yuracka, visit https://gofund.me/9b-05acaf.
To donate directly to Zane Liston, visit https://gofund.me/d6c-1ce4a.
To donate directly to Karin Voohies, visit https://gofund.me/ b6b265e8.
Madonna Kimball contributed to this article.
