Surrounded by a pile of Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and other ruined vinyl records, Cynthia Crane threw the rest of her burnt and melted collection on the ground. Ruined furniture and other belongings surrounded her house, which was burnt black with caution tape wrapped around it.
Her house, at 520 Alameda Ave., caught fire early Wednesday morning when Crane and her three roommates Matt Reavis, Andrew Miniear and Bradley Staggs were sleeping.
"I lost all my rent money in the fire, and I'm going to miss work tomorrow," Crane said. "I haven't slept, and I am running like the Energizer Bunny that doesn't want to quit."
Jim Clevenger, Muncie Fire Department battalion chief, said it was reported sometime between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Residents say the fire department arrived within seven minutes. Crane estimated it took an hour to put the fire out.
"They got here immediately," she said. "It was right before the shift change, and they stayed and worked overtime."
David Miller, chief investigator for the Muncie Fire Department, said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Reavis said the firefighters believed the fire started in the living room, but are not sure whether it was from a candle on a shelf or the extension cord behind the couch.
The fire completely destroyed the wall as well as the rest of the first floor and most of the second.
Crane said she was asleep when the fire started and didn't wake up until Reavis picked her up, carried her down the stairs and threw her out of the house. He said he woke up when he heard Staggs yelling.
"I grabbed a cup of water, even though throwing water on there was stupid." Reavis said. "Then I threw the cup at it."
He said after he got out of the house he had to jump through the window to get back in his bedroom because the doorway was on fire. After shutting his bedroom door to keep the fire out he said he threw dirty laundry and a speaker out the window.
"It was really less than a minute after we got outside before the windows popped," Miniear said.
Every room in the house was damaged, either by fire or smoke, and the residents lost several valuable antiques. Besides two antique tables, a Wertheimer piano they planned to sell when they moved out was ruined.
"I was peeling my record player off the top of the piano," Miniear said.
Equipment and instruments for the band Flesh Furnace that rehearsed at the house were also ruined.
Reavis said they did not have renters' insurance.
The residents said they would be staying with friends while everything is sorted out. Ball State junior Maura Lasky came over to offer food, clothes and a place to stay. Jeff Frasier, a member of Flesh Furnace, also offered them a place to stay.
While none of the residents are currently Ball State University students, Crane and Reavis said they were hoping to start classes Spring semester. Now, they are unsure that will be possible.
"I don't know if I will be able to afford it any more, and I don't know if I will have time to take the SATs," Crane said.
The roommates agreed they were taking it well, and laughed about everything they lost.
"I don't care about not having my stuff," Reavis said.
However, Crane said he did care about not having his house.
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