COON CREEK – An elderly couple was able to escape uninjured after their house caught fire Saturday, destroying the home they’ve lived in for nearly 60 years.
On January 8, fire crews were called to a home on Coon Creek reporting a fire. The homeowners, Louie and Peggy Howard, had lived in the home since 1964.
Josh Jenkins, North Magoffin Volunteer Fire Department captain, told Mortimer Media Group, the structure fire happened at the head of Coon Creek. He said the couple was in the home Saturday morning around 10 a.m. when Peggy heard popping and then smoke started filling the home very quickly.
Louie, 86 years old, was able to get himself and Peggy, 83 years old and in a wheelchair out of the home just before it became fully engulfed, but the home and all their personal belongings were destroyed.
The fire department was able to salvage the shell of the structure.
While the fire remains under investigation, Jenkins told Mortimer Media Group they believe the fire began in the utility room of the home and was electrical in nature.
On a Facebook page created by family members as a virtual household shower for the couple, the family confirmed that Peggy and Louie Howard married on July 7, 1956, and moved into their home on Cook Creek in Magoffin County in 1964. The couple has three children, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
For those wanting to donate, a link to an Amazon registry for items the couple needs can be found in the discussions on the Facebook page “Virtual household shower for Peggy & Louie Howard.”
