MEDINA, Ohio — From living their worst nightmare to now an absolute dream, a Medina family that lost nearly everything in a house fire 11 months ago is getting a fresh start.
RELATED: Fire in Medina destroys home, kills at least 1 dog
The Lafayette Township Fire Department was dispatched to a Ryan Road home around 4 a.m. in early January.
"We arrived on scene in about six minutes, and the house was fully involved,” Lafayette Township Fire Chief Brian Cavanaugh previously said.
The nearest source of water for firefighters was a pond on the property where the fire broke out.
Cavanaugh said it took his team an hour to put the fire out.
"They have some salvageable things in there, but it was a total loss of everything: their clothing, their belongings, their personal items. It’s an unfortunate, tragic thing for the family,” Cavanaugh added.
According to Kim Cherney and Paul Terry, the cause of their house fire was a crack in the chimney near the attic.
Cherney told me that the fire initially broke out near her youngest daughter's bedroom.
"I guess like where the crack was just happened to be where the wood of the attic was, and then we didn't have one of the walls that stopped the fire kind of from going all the way through. So obviously, [we] went through our worst nightmare ever. Honestly felt like we were never gonna get through it," Cherney said.
Cavanaugh said, "I'm not a fire investigator and expert on that, but yeah, a lot of times I would recommend getting your chimney checked frequently and regularly, at least yearly, and make sure it's inspected and properly installed. They cause significant damage if they're not installed properly."
Cherney, Terry and their two youngest kids made it out of the home safely.
Unfortunately, two dogs were lost in the fire, according to Terry.
Although a long and sometimes agonizing 11 months, Cherney and Terry's new home is almost ready for move-in.
Landmark Homes broke ground on a new development on the same property in August.
"A lot of that planning was just getting our ducks in a row from the beginning and getting guys lined up and letting them know like, hey, this is a high priority job, we just need you guys to follow our lead on it, get in, get out, do your job like you normally do, but understand this one's high priority," Co-owner of Landmark Homes, Adam Beckwith told me.
Another co-owner of Landmark Homes, Tim Pelton, said the original home was too damaged to salvage, so a complete demolition was needed — not even the foundation could stay.
"It's a really unique lot. That was the fun part of it for us, you know, we do all of our own architecture in-house, so they brought us a challenging program to design to, and this is a one-off home. I mean, there's not another one in the world like their house," Pelton said.
The family will be given the keys in 48 hours to begin the move-in process.
Beckwith said the home was built in two-thirds the amount of time they typically take to build houses.
"Somebody's gotta be available and make things, make happy endings, and this is a great opportunity," Beckwith said.
Pelton added, "It's a process, and it's emotional, but we're part of this community, you know, generationally with our families that have been here, so we're just thrilled that we're the ones that got the opportunity to take the challenge and get them home for Christmas."
As Cherney and Terry look ahead to the future, they can't help but reflect on that cold January day they lost their home and the firefighters who rushed to their aid.
To show their gratitude, Cherney and Terry donated dinner to the Seville, Lafayette, and Medina crews who helped knock down the fire.
"We just wanted to give them a nice warm dinner, say thank you, give them another hug, especially Captain Brian. He went out of his way. He was amazing, especially afterwards, and I could call him today, and he always answers and helps, so that is awesome," Cherney said.
From Contessa's On The Lake was chicken parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread and salad.
The dinner was held at Lafayette's fire station.
"It's really nice to see the family under better circumstances. It's nice that the family would go out of their way to thank us, and it's really appreciative. The guys love to eat, so it's nice, especially for the holidays," Cavanaugh said.
While a thankless job, Tuesday night's donated meal was a small reminder to Cavanaugh as to why he's in this line of work.
"I just love serving my community. I love serving my neighbors. That's important. I work where I live, so any time anything like this happens, it hits deep, and it hits hard like it's home, it's family, it's your neighbors," he said.
Cavanaugh also awarded each firefighter a challenge coin for their dedication on the night of the fire.
Not only are Terry and Cherney thankful for the fire crews that came to their rescue in January, but also the community that rallied around them in their time of need.
"I wanted to thank my family, his family too, and obviously the community. They came together with the GoFundMe. It helped us out tremendously. If we had to work like right after the fire, that would have been impossible. They really helped keep us afloat, so I'm super grateful for the community," Cherney said.
Cherney also gives thanks to Rick Wallace of Wallace Furniture for the support he and his business provided to her family.
"Special thank you to Rick of Wallace Furniture in Medina for always going above and beyond for my family. He treats us like family and has helped us so much," Cherney said.
One of the first things Cherney said will go up in their home this week is a tree to celebrate this Christmas miracle.
