Titusville house still in ruins months after destructive fire caused when waste truck snagged power line
House still in ruins months after damaging fire
Last summer, FOX 35 News reported about low-hanging power lines in a Titusville neighborhood. Residents in the Hickory Hill subdivision were also concerned about leaning utility poles. A yard waste truck struck a power line, causing an electrical surge that sparked a fire inside Stephanie Morgan's house. We returned to check on the progress being made at Morgan's home.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Last summer, FOX 35 News reported about low-hanging power lines in a Titusville neighborhood. Residents in the Hickory Hill subdivision were also concerned about leaning utility poles.
In August, an arm of a yard waste truck got caught on a power line, causing an electrical surge that sparked a fire inside Stephanie Morgan's house. We checked back in on the investigation to see how things were progressing. There’s good news and bad.
The line that was struck by the yard waste truck belonged to Florida Power and Light (FPL), which leased the pole from AT&T. Multiple people had called to complain about the pole leaning over and the power line hanging low. Morgan told FOX 35 that she had been raising the issue with both companies for three years.
Contractors hoped to have Morgan's house ready by Christmas, but they ran into some problems once they started working. The fire damage was much worse than they had thought, and the ceiling needed to be taken out. Asbestos was detected within the walls, mold had run rampant, and the plumbing was shot.
As a result, the house had to be almost entirely gutted. Morgan says her insurance company has been slow to react.
MORE HEADLINES:
- Orlando Health shows advanced lung cancer fighting robots
- City of Ocala refusing to pay for damage after SWAT officers broke store owners' property
- Family says child hit and killed by school bus was cancer survivor
"They agreed the walls would have to come down because they were contaminated, but now they’re kind of fighting us on the cost to put it back up."
RELATED: Low-hanging power lines blamed for fire that destroyed Titusville family's home
Every day of work at the house means another day that this family is not in their home. The first six weeks were the hardest, Morgan said.
"We were bouncing between hotels, vacation rentals, Air BnBs. My kids had birthdays during that time. It was so stressful. We could not find a suitable rental that we could afford that would accept us," said Morgan. "That was difficult, probably the most stressful thing I’ve done in my entire life.’
Since then, the family found a rental house where they signed a one-year lease. They’re hoping not to need the entire thing. They’re also hoping the insurance company pays out what the family believes they’re owed. Morgan said she had already notified the City of Titusville, FPL, and AT&T that if her insurance company didn’t cover all the damage, she’d go after the companies herself.
"We hired a public adjuster, and he’s been going to bat for us, trying to make sure we get a fair shake in the deal."
FOX 35 News followed up with AT&T to see how much work it’s done on power lines in Hickory Hill since our first report.
The company answered in a statement, "Since August, we’ve replaced two damaged poles in the Hickory Hill neighborhood and repaired several other poles. We’ve also raised the height of low-hanging cables in the area. We appreciate the help of residents with bringing these concerns to our attention."
The company added, "Residents with concerns about utility pole damage or low-hanging cables in their neighborhood should contact us at 800-288-2020."
Morgan said it was good that the company worked on the lines once FOX 35 reported on the issue, but she’s still frustrated that her warnings to AT&T and FPL went ignored for so long.
"After the story aired, they were here at 8 a.m. the next morning. It’s funny how that happens," said Morgan. "There wasn’t a spotlight on the neglect, and it was really obvious that’s what was happening here. So I think as soon as that story got out, they thought, 'Hmm, we might want to do something about that before it becomes a bigger issue.’"
Morgan is still working to hold those companies accountable for the damage to her home. The new projected finish date for the construction is late April or early May.
The family is trying to look on the bright side. Since they need renovations anyway, they’re making some changes to the house, like building a utility room and expanding one of the bathrooms.