Letter: Warren's bravest did their best in face of massive blaze

Posted 8/21/19

To the editor:

We are sorry that it took us a while to get this out. That is because, as many of you know, we recently lost our internet connection. Of course, we also lost nearly all of our …

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Letter: Warren's bravest did their best in face of massive blaze

Posted

To the editor:

We are sorry that it took us a while to get this out. That is because, as many of you know, we recently lost our internet connection. Of course, we also lost nearly all of our worldly possessions, and our home that we lived in and cherished for the last 40 years.

And we are doing fine.

That may be because we are stupid or there is another shoe to drop but we think its mostly because of the the overwhelming outpouring of love that we have received from close friends, dear neighbors, passing acquaintances, and total strangers.

We have shed plenty of tears – but almost all of them are in jubilant gratitude for the support that the community of Touisset and the entire town has shown us.

Individuals are too numerous to name but we would like to acknowledge two groups that are relatively unique to Warren, the Touisset Point Community Club (TPCC) and the Warren volunteer fire department.
For 100 years now TPCC has created the shared experiences from which bonds are forged. Those bonds have never been more evident to us than on Monday and its aftermath when waves of neighbors have flooded us with their care and their offers of support.

The Warren fire department, volunteers, neighbors from the entire town, put themselves in harms way preventing two propane tanks from exploding and protecting adjacent structures from any serious damage. We, of course, were there from the beginning and it was evident within a matter of minutes that our house was gone so we want to put to rest any notion that the fire company could have done anything more to save our home. What they did do was nothing short of phenomenal.

Perhaps just as importantly the Warren fire department is another community that brings us together and creates the opportunity to be part of something bigger than ourselves. It's these invisible ties that weave the entire town together and in times like this give us the opportunity to share our common humanity.

The experience you have given us, at least temporarily, but hopefully permanently, has made us better people.

The treatment of burns requires flooding them with water that cools the pain and limits the damage. In the same way, from the beginning, in the aftermath of this fire, you have flooded us with love and that has greatly lessened our pain and limited the damage. So it is with profound gratitude we express our thanks. It is because of you we are fine.

Dede and Geoff Berg

13 Circuit Drive

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