Palisade home destroyed by fire

PALISADE -- Fire investigators blame an extension cord on a refrigerator for the fire July 11 that destroyed the home of a Palisade couple. Extreme heat and humidity caused overheating in several of the firefighters who responded to the blaze at Colleen and Mel McVicker's home a block west of Palisade's Main Street.

The Wauneta Breeze reports that Colleen McVicker, her daughter, Sarah Witt, and her grandchildren were playing in a swimming pool outside McVicker's house when they heard a pop sound come from inside the house. When Witt saw smoke coming from the house, McVicker discovered flames shooting from behind the refrigerator and smoking filling the house.

Firefighters from Palisade and Hayes Center battled the fire for four hours, but the house and its contents were a total loss. One firefighter was transported to and treated at Community Hospital of McCook for physical exhaustion and complications of diabetes, and released; others were tended on the scene for overheating.

Nebraska State Fire Marshal Ryan Sylvester explained, in a news story in the Breeze, that the extension cord was not designed to carry the electrical load of a refrigerator. As the fridge began to cycle to cool its contents, Sylvester said, heat built up in the cord and started a smoldering fire. As flames grew, the fire soon encompassed the structure, he said.

The family is also recovering from the death Feb. 21 of Colleen's son, Bryan, killed in a hunting accident in Shamrock, Texas. Two weeks after Bryan's death, Colleen's mother died.

The McVickers are living in a pop-up camper trailer parked near the remains of their home, living with necessities provided by the American Red Cross. The couple does not have homeowner's insurance.