Herald/SARAH MOORE KUSCHELLWhat is left of an electric guitar lies in the ruins after a fire gutted a trailer in the 200 block of Reece Creek Road in Killeen on Dec. 12. One of the fire’s victims remains hospitalized in Dallas with burns on 95 percent of his body.

Killeen Daily Herald’s front page story Dec 28, 2007. Thank you Patricia!

By Victor O’Brien
Killeen Daily Herald
When Patricia’s Bess’ five friends lost everything in a Dec. 12 fire, she turned to what might seem like an unlikely source to help them rebuild their lives.

Bess said her push for donations started when she posted a bulletin on the social networking Web site, myspace.com, asking for donations.

“We are trying to raise as much money as we can by the end of the year to split between the guys so they can buy all the things they lost in the fire,” Bess said. “Myspace has helped spread the word to over 1,000 friends and family members.”

On Dec. 12, a fire in the 200 block of Reece Creek Road severely injured one of Bess’ five friends and destroyed the doublewide mobile home they shared.

The fire is believed to have started because of a Christmas tree.

Only four of the five roommates were home when the fire happened: Joe Phillips, 18; Will Dunivan, 18; Matt Duffy, 19; and Joe Hill, 18.

A fifth roommate, Audie Taylor, 18, spent the night at his parents’ house sick and wasn’t inside when the fire started.

The official cause of the fire is undetermined, but a possible electrical malfunction in the living room is suspected, Killeen fire investigator Chris Mahlstedt said.

A dog is believed to have saved one life, if not more.

The first hint of fire for Phillips was when the barking of his dog, Rhino, awoke him.

“I just heard my dog barking. I woke up just a little bit because he never really barks,” Phillips said.

“Matt (Duffy) was yelling at the dog and that’s when I really woke up. I thought what was going on out there,” Phillips said.

Phillips walked to his bedroom door and smelled smoke. He assumed someone had turned on the heater and he was just smelling the burned scent heaters make the first time they are turned on for the winter, Phillips said.

However, when Phillips opened his bedroom door, he saw a living room filled with flames. He said he thought about running to get the fire extinguisher, but it was all the way across from the flames. Instead, he turned and climbed out his window at the back of the trailer.

Once outside the trailer, Phillips started shouting his roommates’ names.

While he was yelling, Phillips heard Dunivan screaming, “Joe! Joe!” from the front of the trailer to make sure Phillips had escaped the fire.

When Phillips made it to the front of the trailer, he saw Dunivan at the doorway.

“We walked toward each other and I saw how bad he was burned,” Phillips said.

“I was in total shock. I knew it (the damage to Dunivan) was bad because he just had pieces of clothes stuck to him.”

Phillips immediately told Dunivan to go to his parents’ house, which was nearby.

Billy Dunivan drove his son Will to Metroplex Hospital.

At the time, Will was able to talk, but soon he went into shock and hasn’t talked since.

Fire crews arrived at the scene a short time later, and the three other roommates were taken to Metroplex Hospital.

Though Phillips was unharmed, his dog did not survive.

Duffy and Hill injured themselves when they broke a window to escape, but both are fine now.

The situation of Dunivan, who has a twin sister, remains uncertain.

He is in critical, but stable condition, with 95 percent of his body burned, at the special burn unit of Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Billy Dunivan said.

He was burned when he dashed through the flames to escape.

“He will probably be here for six months to a year, if he makes it. It’s not a situation where they can tell you today if he will make it,” Dunivan said.

He added that he appreciates the support from the community and friends that has helped the Dunivans get through the tragedy.

While Dunivan is in a Dallas burn unit, Phillips said he thinks of him all the time, even as he tries to regroup after the tragedy.

“Mainly, I have been thinking about my friend. I think about him every day,” he said.

While he worries about Dunivan, Phillips’ other friends are looking out for him.

“I’m finding out who my friends are. Everybody is coming together helping me out with clothes, money and a place to stay,” said Phillips, who is staying at his friend’s parents’ house.

Phillips said his roommates still want to live together and they are searching for an apartment or a small home.

Once the roommates find a place to live, Bess hopes donations will provide everything they need to feel as at home as they did when everyone would visit the roommates on weekends before the fire.

To make that vision possible, Bess decided to post a bulletin on myspace.com to spread word and ask for any donations.

Within hours, Bess had received $100 in donations, which she used to start a bank account.

A short time later, Sk8er Shack, a store at the Killeen Mall, offered to donate clothing to her friends.

Sk8er Shack’s owners Mark and Leslie Francis recognized one of the fire victims, Matt Duffy, as a local skater and offered for him and the other roommates to come pick up whatever they needed.

Duffy was the first one to take them up on their offer. He picked out a pair of jeans, a hooded sweatshirt, a few T-shirts and the Leslies added a dozen pair of skater socks for him.

Mark Francis said they have donated about $200 in clothing per roommate.

Though Francis imposed no limits on the value of what they could take, the roommates have on their own been humble and considerate in gathering the donations, he said.

“We told them to pick out what they wanted,” he said. “We can see they weren’t trying to take advantage of our generosity. They took what they definitely needed.”

The Internet and word of mouth are making it possible, Bess said.

“This all started with a simple bulletin on myspace and from there the word of what we are trying to do has grown like wildfire,” she said. “Just from that bulletin and word of mouth.”

When Bess started, she had just hoped to buy clothes for Phillips and flowers for Dunivan’s family, but after the response to the bulletin, her goal changed.

Bess decided she wanted to raise as much money as she could before the end of the year and then divide the money among the roommates.

In addition to clothing donations, $850 has been donated as of Sunday to help them get back on their feet before the new year, Bess said.

Bess is also in touch with local businesses and churches about having donation jars, but is uncertain how much money will be donated.

Bess said it does not matter whether people donate clothing, gift cards or money.

To donate, contact Patricia Bess at (254) 368-8809 or visit a First National Bank branch and ask to donate to account number 01-7609442.

Also, Will Dunivan’s older sister started a Web site at helpwill.org to update on Dunivan’s progress, promote blood and organ donating, and to gather donations for medical costs and to replace necessities.

Contact Victor O’Brien at vobrien@kdhnews.com or call (254) 501-7468

Will’s condition today 12/27/07

The doctors have said to us that with Will’s condition expect a lot of ups and downs. Because of prayers and support there has been steps in a positive direction. Each day that Will is stable is a good day. I am happy to say that the doctors let Will breathe on his own for about one hour yesterday. The tube was put back so he will not become exhausted and his body can use that energy to try and heal. ~Kelly D.

December 27, 2007

I would like to thank everyone who has been and continuing to Pray for my brother. He is still in stable condition at the Parkland ICU. ~Kelly D.

The story of what happened.

On December 12, 2007 at around 2:00 a.m. there was an electrical fire in the home of William Dunivan, Matt Duffy, Joe Hill, Joe Phillips and Audi Taylor.
Fortunately, Audi Taylor was away for the night and, although they endured a traumatic experience, Matt, Joe H. and Joe P. escaped the fire with minor injuries. We are all grateful that they are okay.

William Dunivan managed to escape the fire but he sustained 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree burns covering 95% of his body. 4th degree burns destroy the muscles and tendons underneath the skin, reaching all the way to the bone. Will is now in critical condition at Parkland Hospital Burn ICU in Dallas, Texas.

Will’s doctors say that he will be in the Burn ICU for at least 6 months. Because of the severity of his burns, the doctors have to keep him under heavy sedation. He cannot respond to us. However, the doctors and nurses say that he may still be able to hear us, and we talk to him every day. He has many tubes feeding him, helping him breathe and monitoring his vital signs. Doctors don’t give us much hope because they can’t, but we know that Will is strong and will overcome this hardship that life has dealt him.

Our family knows that Will is in the prayers of so many people and we want you to know how much we appreciate it. It means a lot. Please continue to stay positive and keep him in your thoughts and prayers everyday because Will’s recovery is going to be a long process.

We will try to update this site on a regular basis so please continue to check back for news on his progress. Coming to this site for updates will really help us since the volume of calls can be overwhelming.

Will is resilient and has a strong determination to live, but his survival is possible because generous people have made the decision to be blood, tissue and organ donors. Our family wants to express how grateful we are to these people. They save lives like Will’s everyday. Please consider registering to become a donor and be sure to inform your family of your intentions.