Owners of burned-out historic Pomona home already picking up the pieces

POMONA - The house that has been home to Dawn and Fred Van Allen and to The Garden was charred ruins Monday, but it won't be for long.

"We'll be camping out for a while but then we'll just put one foot in front of the other," Dawn Van Allen said Monday. "We should be up and running by next week."

The Van Allens lost their home which has also been the site of their garden center business in a fire that started in a shed in the area of Kingsley Avenue and Gordon Street shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday.

The fire destroyed two homes, did heavy damage to two others and cause moderate damage to eight others including one unit at an apartment complex.

Inspector Fred Stowers of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said Monday the fire, which did about $2.5 million in damage to the turn-of-the-century house, is still under investigation.

Investigators have ruled out the fire was started by illegal fireworks or a methamphetamine lab, Stowers said, adding the blaze began in a utility shed behind an apartment complex on Gordon Street.

The blaze left little of the historic home.

The home had local historic status even before the Wilton Heights Historic District, where the property is located, was established in the late 1990s, said Mickey Gallivan, president of the Historical Society of Pomona Valley.

Fred Van Allen said he and his wife where near Flagstaff, Ariz., visiting family when the fire broke out.

It wasn't until about 4 a.m. Sunday that the Van Allen's got word to call their daughter in California, he said.

After speaking with her, the couple immediately headed home and by about 10 a.m. were in Pomona finding little left of their home, Fred Van Allen said.

Behind their house a coach house, a greenhouse, a gazebo and a chicken coop are gone.
Dawn Van Allen said thanks to a friend who was house-sitting, their two dogs, two indoor cats and four outdoor cats were saved.

Rows of tomato plants stand eerily in darkened ground and wrought-iron plant holders lost their shape nearly melting away.

Among the things that appear to have survived is a large walnut tree behind the house.
"The walnut tree, that's such a miracle to us," Fred Van Allen said. "We've had everything from Bible fellowship to NASCAR 500" gatherings under the tree.

The fire came just as The Garden had been recognized for its organic practices.

"We were going to be the first organic garden center in Los Angeles County," Dawn Van Allen said.

Many of the plants on the property either burned or where killed by the heat from the fire but some somehow survived.

One of The Garden's specialties, along with edible plants, is California native plants.
Dawn Van Allen has already consulted with a specialist in native plants and will be repotting those that are salvageable, she said.

In addition she has already contacted her plant supplier and expects to have stock arriving soon.

The Van Allens said the prayers and support of people have made a difference as they deal with the loss of the home they fell in love with when their search for a place that could accommodate a gardening business and that also had historic character brought them to Pomona from Orange County.

Fred Van Allen said he has always considered himself fortunate to have the opportunity to live in the home.

"Everyday I pinched myself that I lived in that house," he said.

Friends, neighbors and even some strangers have stopped in and said prayers with the couple.

Neighboring churches such as First Baptist, Pilgrim Congregational and First Presbyterian have all offered prayers for the victims of the fire, the Van Allens said.

Some people have stopped in and offered groceries. One left the couple a donation with a card that simply said it was from a Kingsley neighbor.

"We're so thankful with the community support," Fred Van Allen said.

At First Baptist Church, Rev. Glenn Gunderson, senior pastor, made a statement during Sunday services about the fire, said Beverly Moudy, assistant to Gunderson.

The church is collecting donations for the most impacted residents with all of the proceeds going to them, Moudy said.

Donations can be mailed to the church or made via its Web site.

On Monday the Van Allens were waiting for insurance representatives to arrive so they could begin the process of rebuilding.

Although they don't have a plan yet they're looking at several possibilities including finding a historic house that needs a family and moving it onto their property.

Since it opened, The Garden has been much more than a garden center.

"We're like the general store," Fred Van Allen said.

It was not unusual for people who due to busy schedules would miss each other's phone calls but would end up running into each other at The Garden, Gallivan said.

"You saw a lot of people there," Gallivan said.

The Van Allens have been involved in several community projects including the development of a community garden at Lincoln Elementary School.

How to help

Pomona First Baptist Church is collecting donations to benefit those most affected by a fire that destroyed two homes in Pomona.

Checks can be made out to First Baptist Church with word "fire" written on the check and mailed or dropped of at the church offices at 586 N. Main St. Pomona 91768.

Donors can also go to www.pfblive.tv and go to on-line giving and make a donation marking it with the word "fire."