Elderly veteran, wife narrowly escape Cornwall fire
Army veteran Denis Lutz and his wife Elsbeth wanted to live out their retirement together in their Cornwall home, but the elderly couple’s dream home on Faenza Terrace caught fire Thursday and is now reduced to charred rubble.
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523ds agoArmy veteran Denis Lutz and his wife Elsbeth wanted to live out their retirement together in their Cornwall home, but the elderly couple’s dream home on Faenza Terrace caught fire Thursday and is now reduced to charred rubble.
Their adult children tell News 12 that their parents rely on walkers and wheelchairs.
They were able to get out just in time through the garage, while portions of the house were already in flames.
“One minute. It was literally minutes, and they lost everything,” said Eric Lutz.
They say their mom and dad escaped in their socks. At the ages of 80 and 76, are forced to start over.
“They’re just devastated that their dream home is gone,” says Cindy Lutz-Spidle. “I don’t think it’s hit them just yet how much this is going to change everything for them.”
While the family is grieving the loss, they’re also counting their blessings.
They say their mom replaced a broken smoke detector last week and was alerted to the fire while she was napping by the sound of the alarm beeping.
“I think that smoke detector saved their lives. They would not have gotten out if they hadn’t been warned by it,” said Lutz-Spidle.
The Lutz family say their parents have special housing needs to accommodate their disabilities and moved to the home in 2014.
They previously lived in Central Valley, where they raised their family.
Cornwall fire officials say the fire started in the kitchen, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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