Community Supports Cowanshannock Fire Victims

By Jonathan Weaver

A community benefit for a Cowanshannock Township family devastated by a house fire in July brought many memories to a Ford City social hall Saturday.

Regina Dean Pearce – 42 – died of smoke inhalation in an early-morning fire at the Meredith intersection in Cowanshnnock Township – a road between Rural Valley and NuMine on July 4th.

Regina’s daughter, Emily, escaped the smoke and flames with her boyfriend, Jonathan Skinner, and older brother, Jason Gulas, via a second story window about 3:30AM.

Emily recalled waking up in her room upstairs to an odd smell and smoky conditions that morning.

“I could see this like haze in my room, and I woke my boyfriend up and said ‘I think the house is on fire.’ He started kicking the air conditioner out of the window, got me out on the roof after I grabbed my phone and I called 9-1-1 screaming,” Emily said.

When on the roof, Emily could hear her mother pounding on the window for help, but once Skinner was able to break the window, Emily heard her mother take one final breath before collapsing due to smoke inhalation.

Gulas also could not get to Regina due to the roof catching fire and collapsing on the two-story home.

Father, Barry, was at work in Ohio during the fire.

One of the first firefighters on the scene was Dayton firefighter and close family friend Dick “Bunga” Stewart, but firefighters were not able to retrieve

As per her wishes, Regina – who was also a Licensed Practical Nurse for more than 12 years - is cremated.

Barry, Emily and Skinner now live with Emily’s older brother, Curtis.

“Just coming home and talking to her, making her laugh with all the stories about nursing school. She loved to hear that kind of stuff,” Emily said. “It is very difficult to concentrate in class without being able to call her afterwards. If I had a bad day, I can’t call and vent to her about it, and my dad and boyfriend don’t understand what I’m talking about.

At the benefit at the Ford City CU Club Saturday night, the Pearce Family was surrounded by family and friends – including Emily’s fellow nursing students that set up the event.

The nursing students told Emily of their plans to hold a benefit dinner at Regina’s viewing – less than a week after the fire – according to Emily Slagle of Tarentum, the event designer.

Slagle, 21, and her boyfriend, William, attended Saturday’s event and said Regina’s death is difficult for all the students.

“Whenever anybody loses their mother, that’s a really sad time – especially since we’re together five days per week, 40 hours per week, so you get close to people,” Slagle said. “Knowing somebody that close and knowing that somebody that meant so much to them passed away affects you (too).”

Plans are to rebuild on the site of the fire, but the money donated Saturday will help family members “start from scratch” and purchase “the little things.”

Kalynne Meridieth is a fellow nursing student, but also lived across the road from the Pearce Family shortly before the fire. She can vividly recall the house’s front door (dark brown with a center oval), which was also the last thing standing after the fire was extinguished.

Meridieth, 31 and a mother of three, said she sometimes feels inclined to treat Pearce like one of her children since the fire.

“I think my mother instinct kicked in – we’re still as close, but instead of wanting to hang out with her, I want her to sit on my lap and hold her like a child.”

As a point of contact for the event, Meridieth was in contact with many local businesses who donated food or prizes toward 40 gift baskets. Nursing students and faculty members also donated.

Emily could easily sum up her feelings toward the student support.

“I love all of them,” Emily said.

The nursing students present Saturday either graduate in September or December.

It was the fourth house fire in the NuMine community this year, and the most devastating.

Though fire investigators were not able to determine a cause, based on the age of the house, Emily thought the fire started due to an electrical problem.

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