Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 3, 1994 TAG: 9403030113
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RINER LENGTH: Short
"There's a lot of stuff you can't replace," said Reynolds, a retired trucker who lives in Salem. "I'd done a lot of work in there."
Flames from the late-afternoon blaze heavily damaged the 1 1/2-story house on a hillside off Riner Road, about seven miles from Christiansburg.
Riner Volunteer Fire Chief Jay Altizer said the fire was caused by a power surge near a stereo in the upstairs of the house. A damage estimate hadn't been determined, but the interior was gutted. The Reynoldses weren't at the house when the fire started, and no one was injured.
Reynolds said his father bought the land in 1927 and moved his family there in 1939. He and his wife, Betty, had been working on the home and surrounding 58 acres for five years. His uncle had lived there before then.
Donnie Quesenberry, a neighbor, said he noticed smoke coming from the white, tin-roofed house when he arrived home from work. When he realized the fire was more than he could handle, he waved his arms to alert his wife, Debbie, who called for help.
"They've been working on this old house and fixing it up," Quesenberry said. "They really had it beautiful inside."
He recalled a feature of the kitchen: an old, wood-fired stove.
Betty Reynolds "cooked some of the best meals on that stove," Quesenberry said.
by CNB