PELICAN BAY — Pelican Bay Alderman Tracy Melton was out of town on business when her home caught fire Friday, Jan. 24. Firefighters responded to reports of a fire at the 1400 block of Quail Court at 3 a.m. Upon arrival, first responders found two homes on fire, the Meltons’ and an unfinished building next door. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Tracy Melton believes it originated behind the unfinished home.
“It started in the property next door, but my understanding is that it started out back,” Melton said. “It didn't start in the house. There is a large transformer and a set of power lines directly behind that house. I don't know if that could have had something to do with it, with the high winds. I'm just speculating. I don't have any idea at this point.”
The house next door had been empty for several years and was in the process of being worked on to sell, Melton said. Her husband, Tom Melton, was home and asleep when the fire started. According to Melton, her husband was awoken early that morning by their Doberman pinscher.
“Thank God for my beautiful Doberman, Penelope. My husband was sleeping through it. It happened in the middle of the night and my dog woke him up and got him out of the house. They didn't either one suffer any burns, but he said by the time she woke him up, if he hadn't known where the door was, they wouldn't have been able to find it. The house was fully engulfed in smoke and flame.”
Since the incident, Melton said her husband has had trouble sleeping and has relived that night in his dreams. The couple had lived in the house, which Tom Melton inherited from his mother, for the last 20 years. Tracy Melton has been on the Pelican Bay City Council for two years and plans to run for re-election this May. She works for a home décor company and was at a trade show in Las Vegas at the time of the fire. Their home was uninsured and the Meltons are currently staying with friends in Pelican Bay. Along with the house, the Meltons lost all their possessions including priceless baby clothes, photos and antiques. With the couple’s financial situation, they are currently looking into temporary rental housing in Pelican Bay and assistance from the Red Cross. The Meltons’ son, Ross Houk, has started a GoFundMe which has raised nearly $7,000 at press deadline. Readers can find the page at www.gofundme.com/f/help-tom-and-tracy-rebuild-after-fire. Tracy Melton said many of the donations have come from her coworkers and members of the Pelican Bay city government and its police force. The pair cannot accept furniture or similar physical donations due to a lack of storage space.
“Everybody has just been reaching out and been so supportive. We are extremely lucky in all aspects of this. So grateful is the only thing I can feel right now,” Melton said. “I just appreciate all the community support. Pelican Bay has been a really special place for us all these years, and being on the council has been a privilege, and I'm looking forward to serving more years.”
The experience has been a shock and Melton said she’s still a bit in denial but knows she and her husband will ultimately be OK.
“We're both safe, and that's him and the dog being safe, and that's all that matters. So, everything else is just stuff,” Melton said. “We’ll be fine together. We'll go forward, one foot in front of the other.”