Waco woman in danger of losing home after fire

Mike Copeland

Dec. 2, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- A thumping sound awoke Fannie Evans, 65, in the wee hours of July 8, and her life has not been the same since.

"Three rooms in the house were burning, so I hit the door," said Evans, who escaped barefooted and wearing only her gown from her home at 923 N. 14th St. She left her eyeglasses behind on her bed.

Now, six months later, Evans faces seeing her home of 40 years demolished. The city of Waco has red-tagged the structure and deemed it unfit for habitation. With $14.11 in her checking account and no home insurance, Evans is hardly in financial shape to fix up the place. But she thinks the six rooms not touched by fire are livable.

"I don't want them to tear it down. It was a nice house to raise my four kids in, and I need a place to die," said Evans, who has been paying $200 a month to stay in a duplex at 808 King's Highway owned by her cousin.

"I just want more time for someone to come to my aid. After that, I'll help them tear it down," said Evans, who receives Social Security checks totaling $579 monthly. With that, she pays rent, utility bills, a telephone bill, premiums on a $5,000 life insurance policy, car insurance premiums and $70 a month for a storage building.

"Where does that leave me? Up a creek," she said, comparing her bills to her income.

Evans knows she is running out of time. Waco's Building Standards Commission met in early November and made a final determination that her home is uninhabitable. A public notice published Nov. 14 gave her 30 days from the date of the commission's meeting to knock down her home.

If she can't afford the work, the city will demolish the house, dispose of the materials and file a lien against the property to assure payment if the site ever sells. Demolition will not happen this week, said inspection supervisor Robert Pirelo, because the city has not yet taken bids.

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