A fire last week ruined the home of David and Peggy Anderson and Peggy’s son, Billy Goldschmitt. SUN PHOTO/CINDY LANE

By Cindy Lane
sun staff writer

BRADENTON BEACH – A family of three turned out of their home by a fire has found a home for the holidays.

On Dec. 5, a fire at Peggy and David Anderson’s rented home at 2110 Avenue A in Bradenton Beach rendered it uninhabitable. Both the couple and Peggy’s 20-year-old son, Billy Goldschmitt, were away from home when the fire started, she said, but their two dogs were there.

Firefighters administered oxygen to Shanna, a seven-year-old Rottweiler mix that lived for three days, then died of stress-related complications that appeared to be unrelated to the fire, she said, adding that their other dog survived.

"That was devastating," Peggy said, "but our neighbors have been wonderful," especially Dale Redecker, who is giving them a condo to live in until Dec. 20, when it is reserved for a renter.

After that, the Andersons hope to move to a rented home in Palmetto, closer to the Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg where David is a nurse. Peggy is a longtime Island resident employed at the One Stop Shell Shop in Bradenton Beach.

Meanwhile, they’re in need of clothes for Billy, whose room was the most damaged, and beds and linens for the whole family.

"We’re hoping to save the furniture," she said, but everything in the home was damaged by smoke and water, including their artificial Christmas tree.

The fire probably started in a power strip, Deputy Fire Marshall Kurt Lathrop said. Even though power strips are much better choices than the thin, brown or white extension cords known as "zip" cords, a strip should have an automatic shutoff feature in case of overloads, he said. Better yet, use only two appliances per outlet, which outlets are designed for, he said.

To donate clothing, beds or money to the Andersons, please call 704-0741.