From the front, damage to the Sissom house at the top of 11th and Pinyon appears minimal, but from the side the destruction of the roof is evident. The Sissom family said the fire started on the back patio, probably by a lightning strike, during a severe thunderstorm last Friday, and went up the back wall into the ceiling. The family was able to escape with their dog, but their three cats perished in the fire. Niki Turner Photo
MEEKER | Brandee Sissom, 38, was awakened by someone knocking on her window late last Friday. Thinking her brother was outside, she saw an orange glow on the back patio of the Meeker home where she lives with her parents, Ali and Jim.
Jason Ridgeway, she later learned, had been driving by and saw the fire. He turned off the gas supply to the house and alerted the family. Sissom credits him with saving their lives. She called 911 and she and her father tried to put out the fire with a small fire extinguisher and a garden hose, but it was too late. She helped her mother get out of the house, and their neighbors assisted them while they waited for the fire department and paramedics. Brandee suffered some thermal burns, and the family was treated for smoke inhalation at Pioneers Medical Center.
According to the Meeker Police Department, Officer Keydon Long was the first emergency responder to arrive on scene and was the individual to retrieve and remove all three residents from the home. When he arrived, the two 2 female residents were still inside the smoke-filled home and one was unaccounted for. He removed the women from inside the home and got them to the street to safety and then returned and found the third resident attempting to put the fire out and safely got him away from the fire. Long was also treated for smoke inhalation at Pioneers Medical Center and released.
The family dog escaped, but they later learned their three cats perished in the fire.
The fire is believed to have been started by lightning during a severe thunderstorm. The elder Sissoms, both nurses, are retired. Jim served in the Air Force and Army, and Ali was most recently a hospice nurse with HopeWest. Brandee has rheumatoid arthritis and a prosthetic leg following an amputation in 2020, the aftermath of a rare cancer when she was a child.
The family moved to Meeker from Las Vegas in 2016. Ali has generations of family history here as a Crawford, dating back more than a century, and they have other family in town. Currently, they’re staying with one of Brandee’s brothers.
Fire investigators were able to retrieve Ali’s purse and Jim’s wallet, but Brandee’s personal identification is gone, along with the supplies she uses to create craft items to sell and a lifetime of irreplaceable family mementos. Their medications are also gone.
According to Jim, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to rebuild. Right now they’re working with the insurance company. A Facebook post about the family’s situation generated multiple offers of help, donations of clothing, a meal train, and an account for monetary donations has been set up in the family name at Mountain Valley Bank.
Late Monday a former co-worker of Ali offered two kittens for adoption. The animals have provided a welcome distraction during the crisis.
“Have an escape plan,” Brandee said when asked what advice she’d give to others.
“And a bigger fire extinguisher,” Jim added.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to everyone in the community for the outpouring of kindness and generosity.
NOTE: This story has been updated to include the information about the Meeker Police Officer who responded to the fire.