“Everything Else Is Replaceable”: Escape and recovery when seconds matter

by Dan Dowling – regional communications manager

“It only took two minutes from when I went downstairs to look, that the flames had already traveled through. It was that quick.”

When Morrisville, Vermont resident Jaime Harmon woke up to the sound of a smoke alarm before sunrise on a Sunday morning in February, she assumed it would be a quick check and a minor inconvenience. Instead, within minutes, her home was filled with smoke, flames were moving through the walls, and she and her family were racing to escape.

Jaime’s 16‑year‑old niece who was living there was the first to sense something was wrong.

“She said there’s a crackling in the wall. I went downstairs, saw the pellet stove was out,” Jamie recalled.

Jaime opened the access panel to the wall and could see the fire spreading. She tried the fire extinguisher, but it did not work and then called 911.

Realizing the fire was growing, she shifted into action. Jaime ran upstairs to try to save her cat, but the fire had already traveled through the walls and into the upstairs bedroom.

“Within about 15 seconds, it was so smoky I couldn't see anything. I went outside and was hoping the cat would make it, but unfortunately, the cat decided to hide in the dresser upstairs,” Jaime said.

Firefighters arrived to battle the blaze, but the fire had spread quickly, and the home was a total loss. Despite the loss, Jamie remained grounded in what mattered most.

“The important thing is my brother, niece, and my four dogs and I were completely safe. I’m just grateful that everyone is alive,” she said.

As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, one of them connected Jamie with the American Red Cross.

“That morning, I got a phone call from Melissa from the Red Cross. She asked if I could meet her at McDonald’s, so I met up with her and Eva,” Jaime remembered.

Eva Gillilan and Melissa Rose, two volunteers with the Red Cross disaster action team, met with Jamie to help her and her family get access to what they needed after the fire.

“On my way to meet with the residents, I wonder how they are physically and how they are holding up emotionally.  When meeting with them, we listen to what the resident’s short-term needs are and explain what assistance the Red Cross can provide,” explained Eva.

Eva and Melissa provided Jamie with an assistance card to buy food, clothing, and essentials, and helped her replace her lost glasses and medications. They were also there to provide comfort and support during a chaotic morning.

“That was extremely helpful. It was one huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Jaime said. “We didn’t have to worry about how we were going to eat or what we were going to wear. We were still wearing pajamas.”

Jaime said that it was the kindness of the volunteers that made a difficult situation a little easier to process. The comfort and kindness they provided was appreciated.

“They were very nice and kind. They were surprised that I was calm and collected. My perspective is that everybody made it out alive. Everything else is replaceable,” said Jaime.

Later that day, Jaime, her family and pets were all able to find a place to stay. Jaime hopes her story helps others understand how quickly a fire can spread and the importance of having working smoke alarms.

“If we had just gone back to bed thinking the stove went out and it was just a little smoky, it would have been a completely different outcome. It took less than two minutes for the flames to travel,” she remembered.

In 2025, the Red Cross responded to 106 disasters in Vermont, mostly home fires, assisting 432 people. Thanks to the 290 volunteers supporting the Red Cross mission in Vermont, we are able to provide care and comfort when neighbors need it most.

“It is very humbling sitting with someone whom I’m trying to help knowing that I have a warm home to go to and they are so uncertain about their future. The gratitude of clients is heartwarming,” said Red Cross volunteer Melissa Rose.

The American Red Cross responds to a home fire or other disaster every eight minutes. Families, like Jamie’s, remind us why preparedness, working smoke alarms, and rapid response matter. To learn more about the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan for the entire family, visit  https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire.html.