PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. — A fire swept through a house west of town early Friday, killing a local woman and casting a pall over the neighborhood and its adjacent golf club.
The woman was identified Friday night as Vanessa Jo Lucas.
She lived at the now-gutted house at 4024 Buccaneer Blvd. with husband Roy E. Lucas, known to neighbors as “Ed.”
“A lot of the people who are down here have known Ed and Vanessa for years,” said Kelly Hubbell, who owns Bay Hills Golf Club along with her husband. “We all feel like it's a part of our family that has been affected.”
The cause of the fire had not been determined, but Cass County Attorney Nathan Cox said foul play is not suspected and that an autopsy will be conducted.
The blaze was reported about 12:30 a.m., said Mike Wilson, chief of the Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department.
Next-door neighbor Linda Brandt said she was alerted to the fire by Ed Lucas banging on her door. He had returned home from a late shift at Boys Town, where he has worked since getting laid off from his previous job a few months ago.
She threw on her clothes and ran outside. They were trying to figure out a way to get in to rescue Vanessa, who suffered from multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair, but then flames blew out the front of the garage and engulfed the entire house.
The two stood in the street, hugging each other, realizing there was nothing they could do.
Wilson said it wasn't safe to enter the home until sunrise so firefighters could see better.
Brandt said she understood Vanessa Lucas had been found in the basement.
She was puzzled by this, as Lucas never was able to go down there. Then a firefighter told her the woman had fallen through the floor during the blaze.
Authorities said the fire may have started in the back of the house near the garage, where two heavily damaged vehicles, a van and a sedan, could be seen.
Bellevue and Murray, Neb., fire crews provided assistance during the fire.
Wilson said winds and cold conditions made fighting the fire “very bad.”
Water used by firefighters quickly created sheets of ice around the scene, forcing crews to salt streets and sidewalks to prevent slips and falls.
“Firemen and (paramedics) were falling all over the place,” Brandt said. “They brought over another ambulance just in case somebody got hurt falling on the ice.”
Authorities estimated that it took 90 minutes to contain the fire.
Hubbell said Vanessa Lucas was not as well known around the golf club because of her limited mobility. But Ed is a longtime member, known for his generosity and kindness.
Members of the club hope to arrange a fundraiser of some kind for him.
“To see him on the other end is so hard because he is always so giving,” Hubbell said. “Now we are the ones who need to give back.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1310, andrew.nelson@owh.com
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