9. Fire rescue on Vine Street

Kris Schewe and Beth Sackson stand in front of the charred home they resided in until April. The upper right window is where the first attempt to rescue them by ladder failed because the window did not open wide enough. -- Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea Tribune

Fifteen-year-old Alex Clapper looked out his window around 1:30 a.m. the morning of April 13 to see why it seemed like daytime. He realized the brightness was a fire. He woke up his parents, Kevin and Tina. Older sister Amber awoke, too.

The neighbor’s house, 322 Vine Ave., was on fire. Sleeping inside were Kris Schewe and Beth Sackson.

Alex tried to break their door in. Tina threw rocks at the windows. Kevin went to his garage and came back with a ladder. The Clappers knew which room was their bedroom, so they placed the ladder at the window on the right, front of the house.

Inside, Beth awoke and woke Kris up. She opened the door, saw flames, and closed it. Then she opened the window where the Clappers were attempting rescue. It only opened halfway

Amber was on that ladder and ended up breathing the black smoke. When she climbed down, she almost vomited.

Kevin moved the ladder to the side of the house. That window opened, and Kris assisted Beth out of the window. Because she was wearing only her undergarments, Kris then threw a blanket out the window, then located his cell phone and cigarettes in the dark, before he came down.

Firefighters arrived and began fighting the fire. Neighborhood residents began to gather and police kept them back. The Clappers found clothes for Beth, and Kris wore a blanket until a friend brought him clothes.

They went to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and for scrapes and cuts. They spent the following two nights at the Best Western before entering the residence once again, where the only room not charred black was theirs. Amazingly, Kris’ iPad was unharmed, too.

However, a dog and cat died in the fire. A second cat survived.

The cause, according to investigators, could have had multiple possibilities. First, a laundry basket by the stove caught on fire and was set on the deck, where could have continued. The second could have been stains and rags on the deck that might have spontaneously combusted. Third, cigarette butts could have contributed.

The house was torn down and remains a vacant lot.

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