Butler family picks up pieces after house fire, death
More than two months after a fire at their East Locust Street home, a string of unfortunate circumstances have led a family of three to take up residence with relatives as they pick up the pieces.
James Driskell and his son, Joshua, barely escaped a house fire in the early hours of Nov. 12. While they survived, the house on East Locust Street was a total loss.
The duo moved in with relatives, Tim and Ruth Driskell, plus their three children, and later Jessica Driskell, James’ ex-wife. She lived in the Butler home with James and Joshua, but at the time of the fire was in Boston, where her son and Joshua’s half brother, Miles Hadley, was battling stage 4 lymphoma.
Despite going through at least eight rounds of chemotherapy, Miles, 28, died Dec. 17. Only a few days earlier on Dec. 13, James’ mother, Margaret, died at age 62.
“The struggle here is just navigating each individual person’s needs, especially for myself and Ruth, since we are the head of the household,” Tim said. “We’re trying to make sure everybody is fed and taken care of and their needs and wants are met, physically and mentally and emotionally.”
As Tim watches his brother James pick up the pieces, he said the odds seem stacked against the family.
Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds are no longer available to the family, Tim said. Finding affordable options proved challenging, but even now, the family is still short enough money to cover the first and last month’s rent, along with the security deposit for the new home, he said.
“I know it's been hard because they don't have their own space,” Ruth said.
She recalled how she and Tim cleared their son’s playroom to make space for the family.
Recently, Jessica found a place nearby, Ruth said.
“If they were able to get into this place, it'd be great,” Ruth said. “It’s right by my son’s bus stop.”
She started a GoFundMe drive for Josh and Jessica asking to help them get on their feet. The fund is called “Relocation from fire” and was posted Friday.
