Family Loses Home to Fire a Second Time

“Imagine losing everything you own in a fire... and then, seeing it happen all over again. That's exactly what's happened to a Clermont County family after fire destroyed their home late Sunday night.

The fire was in the tiny community of Point Pleasant. "These are my kids’ heights that we've measured from when they were very little, this is my oldest daughter, last March on her last birthday."

The old beam in Eric Kelso's house now bares another memorable mark-fire. Coming home from visiting friends late Sunday evening, the family pulled up after the home had been reduced to rubble and steam. About the only thing firefighters were able to salvage was this old trunk, fortunately loaded with family photographs.

The fire marshal believes the fire started with wiring in a wall.

As if being burned out of your home isn't bad enough this is actually the second time that Eric Kelso's wife Jo and two of the kids have been burned out of their home. "Not again, that's the first thing, I kept crying...not again... Not again... It only happens to people once in a lifetime if that... But twice you'd never think it would happen twice to you."

Jo's first husband Kenneth Riehle was convicted of arson for setting the fire that destroyed their Fairfield Home in 2006. "I was able to get a lot of stuff out before the fire happened; it was already in storage because we were getting divorced. This time I knew everything was gone, we didn't get anything out and I had treasured that stuff so much more because I was able to get it out, I was so thankful I was able to get it out now I wasn't."

"People from my wife's moms group have been helping us, family and just... it's been a tremendous outpouring, we're just waiting to figure out pretty much how long it will be until we have a home again."

Eric Kelso's Dad set up a relief fund. The family is hoping to either raise enough money or be able to get a loan to pay off the $60,000 left on their mortgage, so they can rebuild. If you'd like to contribute, you can go to any Fifth-Third Bank and ask for the “Mearle R. Kelso House Fire Fund.”

Rich Jaffe, Channel 12 News.