This morning we were shocked awake by the fire sirens going off at 5:30 a.m. Listening to the police scanner we have been able to learn that the Zimmerman Funeral Home was on fire and that there appeared to be one injury.
On the scanner we heard that EMS needed to come to the backside of the funeral home as one man was injured because he had jumped out of the top story.
The fire chief has called for the Moline Ladder truck to help battle the fire.
Since Jim is not a fireman anymore, I will have to gather details from other sources.
Please pray for our firemen to fight and contain this fire and pray for whoever the injuried man is. If I had a name I would share it, but I do not know if it is Lloyd Zimmerman, the owner, Robin Haines, assistant to Lloyd, or someone that may have been helping Lloyd out. Also, Don Smith lives just north of the funeral home and his home is just a driveway apart from the funeral home. He also has a two story house, so it is possible that the injuried man came from the house next door.
I will put more on as I learn the details.
Thanks for letting us know, I heard all the sirens about 10 minutes after Danny left for work. Hope that the injuries are just minor
One man was injured. The owner, Lloyd Zimmerman, jumped from the top story to escape the fire. He has been transported from the Greenwood County Hospital to Wichita. His injuries are not life threatening, but I would place him as a serious injury. It is unknown if any of his injuries are burn injuries. I pray that they are not.
From watching the fire, it appears to me that this will be a total loss. The firemen have been unable to keep it contained to one area. Sometimes in older buildings, which this funeral home is, a fire will get into the ceiling area and just go everywhere.
According to my sources, (which are credible), Zimmerman did not have any deceased clients in there. Thank the Lord as losing your deceased loved on in a funeral home fire would and is just about the most devasting thing a family can suffer from.
I did take pictures with Lee Howell's camera and will get in touch with him later and download those to my computer. Then I will share with the forum.
Janet, can you let us know how Lloyd is as soon as you find out. Also did it damage Don Smiths house?
Army Mom
According to my sources, Lloyd is at Wesley Hospital in critical condition with smoke inhalation. They do not know what kind of injuries he has from jumping from the top story as the breathing issue is top priority right now.
As for Don Smith's house, that is unknown to me.
I just came home from being at Toot's for coffee and the firemen are still battling the fire. I could see visible fire, so they are having lots of problems. The city is trying to keep the water going, but are having problems keeping enough water going to keep the firemen going.
However; we are using a ladder truck with a hose that goes all the way to the top of the ladder and they have been putting water on that building full force. It doesn't take much for our little water plant to have problems with that. A learning experience for everyone.
Please pray for Lloyd as he battles this situation.
I talked to Charlie not long ago. Lloyd is in the surgical intensive care unit and the immediate concern is the smoke inhalation. Lloyd has broken ribs, a broken arm, fractured vertebras and fractured (broken) pelvis. I don't think they've yet ruled out the possibility of internal injuries. When I hear more from Charlie I shall pass it along.
Terrell and I are keeping Lloyd and his family in our prayers as well. One of T's coworkers is a Zimmerman family member so this misfortune strikes doubly close to home.
The video is on the new board that we have created.. "Videos & Slideshows (http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/board,16.0.html)"
I just got it done and have it on the forum..
Check it out.
Teresa, an awesome job - but brought tears to my eyes and chills to my body. Special prayers are going up for Lloyd and his family. I have just been asked by a citizen to let them know how to find this site. She knew nothing about it, so gonna do that now. Thanks for the pictures.
What hospital is Lloyd in? Wesley? So we can send cards.
Great video, Teresa - Thanks!
It's all so very sad. I know Lloyd is lifted up in prayer by many people.
Okay, Teresa, Now you made me cry. Great job, though. How sad! Our thoughts and prayers are with Lloyd & his family.
A couple of pictures.
Tressy--the video is awesome-- heart breaking though, for sure. And Janet your post of the pictures you took are so real- you can nearly feel the heat from the flames. Thank you both
We must keep Lloyd in our prayers.
Mama Jo
From Janet's pictures I would say the firemen did a excellant job of containing the fire and saving what they could of Zimmerman's home. I'm also wondering if all his records were destoryed in the fire, I hope not because he had unreplaceable files.
Keeping Lloyd in our prayers.
I understand from Pastor Robin Haines, who works for Lloyd as an assistant, the records are kept in fire proof safes or files and as soon as the fire marshal clears the scene, Pastor Robin will be taking charge of those.
It has been said from those who were at the fire scene that Lloyd woke up because he was coughing. The reason Lloyd stayed at the funeral home, instead of going to Wichita to his home there with his wife, is because of this rain. Apparently, there was water in the basement and Lloyd was running the sump pump to keep the water going out. Then the electricity goes off around 2:00 a.m. and is back on at 04:56. The speculation, (and that is all it is, speculation), is that the water in the basement could have caused a problem with the sump pump and thus the fire.
Lloyd is in stable condition. He bas many broken bones and suffers from smoke inhalation. The Smoke inhalation is serious. In the two story fall he broke his left arm close to the shoulder (serious), quite a few ribs, several vertebras are broken, and his pelvis is also broken (serious).
Lloyd will possibly have surgery on his back tomorrw after the back surgery they will deal with his pelvis, and ribs. He had a number of serious cuts on his hands that required stitches. I believe they are trying to put his arm in a cast this evening. The swelling in his arm is severe enough that they may not be able to set the arm tonight. They do not want to move him to much because they do not want any pressure on his spine and cause more back injury.
Lloyd was banged up pretty bad - He is in the surgical intensive care SIU unit at Westley. Only two family members are allowed to spend time with Lloyd in his room.
There is only one "irreplaceable" thing that could have been lost in the funeral home fire. And that is Lloyd. Everything else within those walls mean nothing, it's just stuff...wood, paper, cloth, metal. In the grand scheme of life that stuff means nothing. It would have been beyond tragic for my son, Charlie, to have had to deal with the death of his father by fire.
Thanks Mike for the posting on Lloyd's condition. He has a long long way to go and it will take a lot of time, but hopefully he will mend to be 100%. That is something to be thankful for and I wish him well.
1st of all, dad is stable & resting well this evening.. He is in alot of pain, and will be for awhile. Myself, Edna, my uncle Don (dad's brother) & his wife Linda are with him. Equally important, my mother and her side of the family are right there with us, keeping tabs.
I wanted to take this time to thank everyone who was involved in finding Dad, helping him, and everyone who pitched in to try and save as much as they could. Words cannot describe how much the Zimmerman family thanks you!
Tomorrow is a big day for Dad with back surgery at 10:00 am. The doctors are very positive that this will be a successful operation. Please keep him in your prayers.
If you need anything at all Charlie.. just holler..
You know I'll do whatever I can to help you.!
Your dad is very well liked and respected here and anyone who has ever
had him "helping" their family in their time of loss, just thinks the world of him...
so there will be lots of prayers going up for him...
Thanks for posting here on the forum and keeping everyone informed of what is going on.
Kjell said just today that THIS is why he made the forum for the people of Elk County.
Yes.. to have fun and chit chat, but to also keep on top of things like this.
It helps a community stay strong and lets everyone know that we are all friends and that no one is alone when they need support.
And your mom is right...
Stuff is just that.
Stuff!
It can be replaced. People can't!
The fire was on Channel 10, KAKE, out of Wichita, tonight.
http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/8266232.html
I can't seem to say enough prayers throughout the last 20 hours. Lloyd Zimmerman is in my prayers constantly--sometimes without ceasing. So many of us, as Teresa said earlier, shared our very intimate and broken souls with Lloyd Zimmerman in our greatest hours of need and he became a rock for many a family. The funeral home being gone may be a big hole in our community and county, but at this point, not having Lloyd Zimmerman around would be a deep valley. I pray that God touches a healing hand to his physical body, his soul and his spirit. And that He brings comfort to all his loved ones, and to our community of family.
I agree with everyone in Howard....Lloyd is so much in my prayers...I do believe there is not a more compassionate man. He always knows what to say to a family when they are grieving...his quiet gentle manner is amazing. I pray that he will be okay and that God will touch healing hands on his body.
I just talked to Charlie and will leave the details for him to fill in here later when he has time. Lloyd had back surgery today and it went well. Charlie sounded good and very positive. Whewww...one hurdle down!
Praise the Lord! I can't wait to see Charlie's post. We will get word passed around as quickly as we can. See what the power of prayer will do.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers! I'm glad that I have an avenue to provide everyone with info about Dad. Thank you for this avenue.
He had surgery today to mend the fracture in his L2 vertebra. This went very well and the doctors are positive about it. He is communicating very well considering his situation. I've let him know that everyone is thinking of him and his response was with tears. So i want you all to know how faith, true love, friendship, care, and "small town living" speak louder than words. Thank you, our family is blessed to have your thoughts and prayers.
He will be in ICU for awhile, not sure how long. He is breathing better but they are monitoring him. He is not on a respirator and was never on a respirator. The c-pap machine just helps him breath deeper.. he is doing the work. His left arm is broken and bothering him a lot. He has numerous broken ribs. He has a small fracture in his pelvis. His hands are cut pretty back and most of his injuries are on his left side. He has full range of motion and is fully aware of what happened. When the power went out, he went to bed. "Crackling" woke him up. He got up and opened the door to see what it was and the smoke poured in. He broke out the window and jumped as this was his only option.
We know that there is a world of people out there praying for him. Thank you! We also know that there is also and understandably a concern about the funeral home. Please know that it will be rebuilt and the phone number is being answered. Please limit calls to the funeral home line to business-related matters. We will be in touch soon with any additional contact info pertaining to personal contact. He is currently only allowed 2 family members at a time. A big thank you again for all of your faith, hope, and love from the entire family, most importantly my Dad.
Thank you Charlie ..so much .. for sharing with us what is going on.
It is good to know that your dad is going to be ok.
And I am glad we have this forum meeting place too.
It sure helps to answer the questions out there ..with the truth..
This is from an email we received from Florida:
Quote
Date: 07/02/07 06:21:28
Subject: Zimmerman Fire
Hi,
I don't know where to write but I wanted to post a note on your web
site. I live in Florida but my parents were Delbert and Loretta
Riggs, my Grandmother was Mae Riggs. My name is Anettia Nephew. Mr
Zimmerman has take care of several of my family members. I just
want him and his family to know that we are thinking about them all
and they are in out thoughts and prayers. I don't know how to post a
note, so if you could let me know I would appreciate it. Thank you
and God Bless.
Anettia
Quote from: Teresa on July 01, 2007, 10:47:07 PM
Thank you Charlie ..so much .. for sharing with us what is going on.
It is good to know that your dad is going to be ok.
And I am glad we have this forum meeting place too.
It sure helps to answer the questions out there ..with the truth..
You have no idea how many "stories" I have been told and I am able to say, just a minute, this is straight from his son Charlie - and then I can tell them exactly Lloyd's injuries and his present condition -
Dad was putting these up in Elk Falls and Longton.
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/images/loyd-cardshower.jpg)
Jane Vinett ask me to post a couple pics on here of the fire since her flash player wasn't working..
so I will do that.
I am sorry , but my note to do it got scooched to the end of the bottom ,
and I just found it as I was shutting down for the night..
sooo I started back up and here is 2 of the pics..
Sorry Jane that it took me so long.. :-[
I grew up in Elk County and I remember when Dr. Moon and Ernest Gill were at the Funeral Home.
In 1974, my husband Stan Hopwood pastored the First Baptist Church in Howard. We lived in the pastorium across from the church and my daughter and Sylvia Spurrier were very close friends. At that time Herb Spurrier was the Funeral Home Director. We became acquainted with Lloyd Zimmerman during our visits to Howard after we moved back to Georgia. He was very kind and compassionate with us when my mother Ann Garrett passed away. We were shocked and saddened when our son informed us of the fire. Our prayers are for a complete recovery for Lloyd and that in time the healing process will be successful. I have fond memories of Howard and Elk County and I am so excited over this Elk County/Howard Forum which will allow me to keep up to date on the happenings back there. I will be glad to receive emails from anyone who wishes to contact me. I attended the Alumni Banquet in May as my class of 1957 celebrated our 50th year class reunion. Our best wishes go out to all of you and especially to the Zimmerman family.
Reading through all of the numerous well wishes for Lloyd, I want to let everyone know how much this means to Lloyd and his family. His brother, Don and I, were at the hospital tonight, and Lloyd is mentally positive and emotionally upbeat. He is even laughing at our very bad jokes once again. ;D He is improving each day. He is starting to eat semi-solids --- there is always room for jello. He would love to read as many cards as you want to send since he still cannot receive visitors as yet, except for immediate family. Thank you all for the support, positive thoughts and prayers. This does more good than you will ever know toward Lloyd's recovery.
Best Wishes,
Linda Zimmerman
(no not the one that Lloyd married - just a coincidence)
Hi Sunflower ::)
Linda, thank you so much for the update. Sounds like prayers are being answered -
I live in Arizona but have family there in Howard and Moline. My Grandmother Lela Helms and Aunt Boni and Uncle Burl Helms live there in Howard. My parents Joyce and Bill Bischof along with my sister Jessica Lee and Aunt Joan and Uncle Tom Murphy live in Moline. I lived there in Howard when I was a child and was friends with Charlie. I spent many hours there at the funeral home residence playing with Charlie and spending time with his parents. My sister called me on Saturday to tell me that there was a fire at the funeral home. Ever since the moment that I found out that Lloyd was on the premesis and was injured I have been praying for a speedy recovery for him. I just want Charlie and the rest of his family to know that they are in my thoughts and prayers.
I am Delbert and Loretta Riggs' eldest grand-daughter, Amber (Anettia's daughter). I live in Washington State. Wretha Jackson is my Great Aunt. She called mom and told her about what happened, and mom called me to let me know that she found the forum.
Mr. Zimmerman has touched so many lives including mine. I still remember being 9 years old and going with Grandma to the funeral home to check on Great Grandma Mae before her funeral. Mr. Zimmerman was so kind and gentle, and still is. I met him again when I was 15 and Aunt Wretha was preparing her estate, and again when Grandma passed in 2002. Just last August Mom and I came to see Aunt Wretha and we stopped by to see Mr. Zimmerman while we were in town.
I wish him a full recovery and know in my heart that God is looking out for him. Such a beautiful person will not go un-rewarded for his service to others. My prayers go out to Mr. Zimmerman and his family.
Amber Alexander
Tacoma, WA
Heya stndglslady (Linda)!! You and Don give each other an enormous hug for me. And thanks for keeping an eye on my kid for me, that means THE world to ME! Love you guys...Linda
Thank you Teresa for posting the pictures and we knew you were busy. I just cannot in mind think what it will look like, standing in Helen's front yard looking at the funeral home. When Rachael called from Germany she couldn't believe it happened.
Thanks again, Army Mom
If you do not live in Howard how could we get a card to Lloyd?
Thanks Army Mom
That is what I would like to know. i really would like to send him a card...however we still do not have any mail service here at the park - but the manager and the ranger took some things for me Tuesday and posted them for me. This isolation thing is sure new to us-- but we are stil high and dry and have smiles on our faces, and lots of water still around us. lol
Somewhere on one of the threads, there is an address for Lloyd at the hospital. I think Janet posted it. I can't find it. maybe someone else can.
I talked to a friend in Wichita, who had talked to someone else about the funeral home, (Okay so this is third hand), but they said that the Zimmerman's planned to rebuild the funeral home. I hope that is accurate.
refer to this thread on the forum. ...
LINK (http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,2780.0.html)