By Kimberly Gasuras
CCN Reporter
The Chatfield Township Volunteer Fire Department was called to a fully engaged structure fire at 12:40 a.m. Friday.
Shellie and Larry “Dean” Gallant, along with three sons, lost their home and all of their belongings in the fire.
“Larry rolled over and smelled smoke. When he was waking me up, I thought at first I was dreaming of my house fire two and a half years ago because I had been talking about yesterday,” Shellie said of a house fire she suffered while married to her ex-husband.
Shellie said her boys were able to make it out of the house unharmed.
“I went back in to try to put out the fire but had to walk past it to get to the bathroom. I collided with Larry as we were trying to put it out. I grabbed my phone off of the bed and by then the trailer was fully engulfed. Burning plastic was raining down on us,” said Shellie.
Shellie said the family’s Newfoundland dog was able to make it to safety but is now being treated for vomiting and an infection.
“We had two blind cats. One made it out but we have not located the other one,” said Shellie.
Her son’s goldfish was lost in the fire. Shellie and Larry were treated for second and third-degree burns at Bucyrus Community Hospital.
“We have several burns on our arms, legs, and back. I have blisters on my feet and they are wrapped up,” Shellie said.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross has placed the family at the Holiday Inn Express in Bucyrus temporarily.
“We need a place to live along with household items, furniture, clothing. We lost everything,” said Shellie.
Shellie, who works as a cosmetologist at Famous Hair in Bucyrus, said she is in need of decent clothing to wear to work along with makeup and hair care products.
“My boys lost all of their baseball and soccer equipment we just bought for them,” Shellie said.
Larry, who works for Jones Blacktop and Excavating out of Marion, is in need of a Bi-Pap machine he uses at night for his breathing along with a new pair of glasses.
Shellie owns her trailer but was not insured.
The family has lost everything and is in need of several items.
Larry wears size 42/30 in pants, 2X shirts, extra large boxer briefs and 9 1/2 wide shoes and socks while Shellie wears 16 to 18 pants, extra large to 2X tops, 42 triple D bras, underwear size 8 and shoes 8 ½ to 9 ½.
Fourteen-year-old Gage Peterman wears 29/32 pants, large adult shirts, 9 ½ shoes and socks and medium boxers. Blake, who is almost 8-years-old, wears size 8 to 10 youth in shirts and pants, underwear and socks and size six in shoes. While five-year-old Kalib wears size six to seven youth shirts and pants, size one in shoes and is in need of underwear and socks.
Donations can be taken or sent to Shellie’s Grandma Ella at 603 E. Warren St., in Bucyrus, or call Shellie at 567-201-6745.
Firefighters were at the scene of the fire until around 4:45 a.m. Friday and were assisted by the Lykens and New Washington Volunteer Fire Departments, AEP, the local chapter of the American Red Cross and Northern Ohio Rural Water.