Music legend grateful after family escapes Berwick house fire – by Jensy Callimootoo
Source: cranbournenews.starcommunity.com.au
A music legend from Casey has been left “extremely grateful” following a fire that broke out while his family of nine were in the home.
Kerrigan La Brooy, a country musician and entertainer that toured the world in the early 2000s, says he is thankful that his family made it out in time when a fire unexpectedly broke out in his Berwick home on the morning of Wednesday 20 May.
“At the end of the day, what makes me positive is that my wife and children are alive and well and nothing compares to that,” he told Star News.
The fire began in the garage about seven in the morning, said Kerrigan.
But it wasn’t until a tradesman coming to install a solar battery, noticed the fire and notified the family that prompted Kerrigan to act quickly.
“When I came out to greet him, he pointed behind me and I followed his gaze to see our entire garage, between the roof, plumes of black smoke just rising up and brown smoke,” he said.
His six children, the youngest being 13 were in the home at the time getting ready for school.
“Thank God it didn’t happen half an hour earlier we would have all been sleeping. And if it happened about half an hour later, I would have been dropping the kids at school,” he said.
“It chills my blood to say this, but one of my children was off that day because she had a TAFE meeting at 11 o’clock. So she would have been asleep in her bedroom and her bedroom is right on top of the garage.”
While authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, Kerrigan believes the fridge in the garage is likely to blame.
Michelle La Brooy, says that because of her husband’s quick thinking the fire was able to be rapidly contained.
“When we were all evacuated from the house, my darling hubby got the garden hose and he was hosing the roof of the garage near the house and as a result of his quick thinking, he saved the house, the house didn’t burn,” said Michelle.
While Kerrigan and Michelle ponder on the memorabilia lost to the fire that was stored in the garage, ultimately, the couple are simply grateful their family are safe and together.
“The only thing we miss in there is stuff like memorabilia, photographs from children’s school, school days, my world tour, like videos of concerts and paper articles. That’s all, in embers,” he said.
“It breaks our hearts but immediately we think, thank God, we’re all alive. Material things are replaceable.”
