PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla — A fire at a Port Charlotte home Thursday afternoon left a woman fighting for her life. Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski spoke with her family and neighbors about what happened and the race to save her.
A charred shell is all that’s left of Roy Eric and Nikki Varbel’s home after a fire ripped through it. His mom, Sue Bostic, told Fox 4 the family is heartbroken.
Watch to hear from family and neighbors about what happened in the first moments of the fire:
“When we brought him home last night he broke down. Once the adrenaline stopped. Nobody slept last night. He’s just constantly worried about Nikki,” said Bostic.
Roy’s wife of 10 years is now fighting for her life. Roy didn’t want to go on camera, but he told Fox 4 he was working on his motorcycle when a spark from a grinder ignited a fuel line. He said his first thought was to get to Nikki, who was sleeping.
Next door, Kristina Ramirez said she and her boyfriend Chris saw the flames. She said Chris ran over to help Roy, but they couldn’t get into the bedroom because the hurricane shutters were up.
“They were trying to pry off the metal panels and break into the back window to get to his wife,” said Ramirez
Ramirez said firefighters got there fast and cut through the shutters. “They pulled her out the window, started doing CPR, and we found out from one of the officers that she is alive,” Ramirez said.
Nikki was flown to a hospital “They’re trying to clean her blood. Got her on kidney dialysis. We’re at point where we just don’t know but we’re hoping and praying,” said Bostic.
Roy told Fox 4 the storm shutters were up because he works overnight shifts and sleeps during the day. Austin spoke with Charlotte County Fire Marshal Scott Morris about the shutters. He said they can slow down rescue efforts if someone is trapped inside.
“If there’s not a storm approaching, keep the shutters off your house. It helps us get to you a lot faster,” said Morris.
Morris says the cause of the fire is under investigation. And now, because Roy and his wife didn’t have insurance, Bostic started a fundraiser to help. But really, she’s only asking for one thing.
“Just prayers. That’s all we ask for is prayers. We just need Nikki to make it through,” said Bostic.
