Michele and Everton Bailey, seated with their dog Bella, lost their home in Auburn to fire Sunday. Since then, they’ve been staying in the Hampton Inn in Lewiston. They’re trying to find a new place to live in the next week. “That’s the nightmare part,” said Michele Bailey. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
AUBURN — Michele and Everton Bailey were sitting with their tenant and friend Karen Bergeron on the first floor of their home when soot started falling.
It wasn’t long after that they realized the second floor was in flames.
“We couldn’t even get out of the house without being carried,” Michele Bailey said, her voice shaking with emotion. “We were lifted over the (porch) railing to safety, some people that just had stopped in their vehicles came and just lifted me up over the railings.”
Watching the burning home from across Old Farm Hill Road, a woman draped a blanked over Michele Bailey’s shoulders.
“I still don’t even know who that person is,” she said. “I still have her blanket.”
No part of the Baileys’ home emerged from the blaze unscathed. The second floor was destroyed and the first floor ceilings are caving in. None of their furniture survived the fire.
She said they may have to strip the home down to its foundation to repair it.
Both of the Baileys’ vehicles were damaged by the heat, with one almost certainly totaled, Michele Bailey said.
Bergeron, whose apartment was on the second floor, lost everything.
The cause of the blaze is still unknown, but investigators have determined it was accidental, Michele Bailey said.
Watching their home burn has left them grieving, as if they lost a member of their family, Michele Bailey said. But the biggest thing on her mind is finding a place to live.
Michele and Everton Baileys’ two-story home at 36 Old Farm Hill Road in Auburn is engulfed in flames Sunday. The couple and their second-floor tenant escaped without injury. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
The Baileys and Bergeron are staying in local hotels with support from the Red Cross. But they’re not sure where they’ll go next.
They’re looking for a two-bedroom apartment or house — preferably furnished — for the next year, but the search has been a nightmare, Michele Bailey said.
Housing remains scarce in the Lewiston-Auburn area.
“The stress is unbelievable,” she said. “But guess what? I have to still push through, I’ve got to push through, I’ve got to get these people to work,” referring to people she asked Monday to evaluate the damage.
Thursday was the first day she felt sane, she said.
Even as the anxiety has impacted her health, the couple said they’re thankful for everyone who has reached out to support them: friends, families and others.
“A total stranger yesterday prayed with me on the phone,” Michele Bailey said. “He actually prayed with me on the phone, and I was just beside myself. I just couldn’t believe that this total stranger would do that.”
“I’m so grateful for everyone,” Everton Bailey said. “We will come through it. It’s difficult, but we will come through it.”
His brother, who owns Jeff’s Jamaican Cuisine at 940 Lisbon St. in Lewiston, is hosting a fundraiser for the Baileys and Bergeron from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. All proceeds from the food truck will go toward helping them with living expenses.
Michele Bailey said she expects the advance check from their insurance company will only cover their housing deposit and first month’s rent.
“We’re maxing out (credit) cards paying for hotel rooms right now,” she said.
As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, a GoFundMe organized by Bailey’s sister, Shellie Leger of Paris, had collected $1,625 to help with their expenses.
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