FIRE VICTIM WARNS OTHERS: GET RENTERS INSURANCE

(KVAL News – Oregon )  After a fire destroyed all of her family’s belongings, a Eugene-area woman is warning all renters to purchase insurance.

“You can’t save the sentimental things, of course, but at least if you have children, there is something” if you have insurance, said Rhea Chrismer. “You can replace their bedrooms again.”

A fire destroyed Chrismer’s rented house and garage last Monday, charring most of the family’s belongings. The cause of the fire has not been determined and the investigation is on pause unless new information surfaces, according to Heather Miller with Lane County Fire District 1.

Chrismer, boyfriend Micheal Kezer and Chrismer’s three children were not home. The family was renting the property on Territorial Road but did not have renters insurance.

According to a Farmers Insurance branch in Eugene , the average person will pay less than $200 a year for a renters insurance policy.

“We’re not going to let this stop our little family,” she said. “I’m learning good things come from bad things. You meet really good people.”

People like the passerby who saw smoke coming from the house Monday, searched the rooms for people and finding none, let the family’s dogs outside. The dogs survived.

People like the communities of Crow and Lorane, who have offered clothes and started fundraising efforts. If you would like to donate to the family, an account has been set up at the Selco Bank on Gateway Street. Mention the Kezer Family Fund.

To see a short video of this story, click here: http://www.kval.com/news/49463987.html