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Mary Ellis comforts her daughter, Kaylie, in their motel room with her other daughter, Helen, and husband, LeRoy Ellis, following a fire in their home Wednesday.

Wednesday was supposed to be the day LeRoy and Mary Ellis hoped to scrape up enough money to pay off their overdue utility bill.

Instead, an early morning house fire changed those plans. Now, the family of five must find a new place to call home and get their lives back on track.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Mrs. Ellis said.

Fire caused by a fallen candle destroyed the small Ellis home at 2419 S. 18th St., with Mary and her two daughters — Kaylie and Helen — suffering burns but otherwise safely escaping the blaze. They were treated for the burns at Heartland Regional Medical Center and were released later in the morning. LeRoy and son Nathaniel were away at the time, but returned soon after to check on the rest of the family.

Two pet dogs were killed in the blaze, though two cats were saved.

Electric service to the house had been disconnected earlier in the week. It caused Mrs. Ellis, who works during the day, to rely on four candles placed on a nightstand for reading rather than warmth.

“I was reading a book and fell asleep,” she said. “I was having a dream that I was on fire. I was actually on fire.”

The Midland Empire chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family, including a motel room for several days. The search is already under way for a new residence, and the family hopes to remain in the area of Parkway Elementary School.

“Now we have to save money to get us a place to go,” Mrs. Ellis said. “We’re going to get back on our feet.”

The idea of borrowing money or obtaining a loan didn’t pan out for lack of time. The family was also unsuccessful in seeking assistance from Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. Money spent on vehicle repairs further compounded the situation.

“The light bill just slipped behind,” she admitted.

Two computers may have been saved, but even that’s an uncertainty. The fire took everything else, meaning the family needs clothes, furniture and bedding. Family, friends and co-workers are already pledging their help.

“Our kids lost their toys,” Mrs. Ellis added.

The harsh lesson from the harrowing experience won’t be lost on her.

“I’m never ever going to use candles again,” she said. “I never ever want to go through it again.”

There was a smoke detector in the kitchen, but it’s unknown if it was working at the time.

Mrs. Ellis plans to briefly take off some time from her job at St. Joseph Distributing. Mr. Ellis works in the kitchen at Terrible’s St. Jo Frontier Casino.

St. Joseph fire inspector Jason Ziph said household candle use tends to increase as fall and winter approach. Candles should be kept at least a foot away from any material, Mr. Ziph said, and not used in bedrooms or other areas where people can fall asleep. Flashlights and other portable lights should be used in emergencies such as power outages, he added.

Kansas City Power & Light spokeswoman Katie McDonald said the utility tries to be flexible with customers facing service shutoffs, especially in light of the tough economy. A shutoff of residential electric service should never come as a surprise, she added.

“We do reach out to customers multiple times,” Ms. McDonald said. “We never want customers to be without power.”

Red Cross Emergency Services Director Karla Long said the agency will provide and install smoke detectors and batteries during October for residents who are physically and financially unable to do so on their own. Call 232-8439 for more information.

Community Action ran out of its summer allotment of utility assistance funds by Aug. 1, according to director of development/communications Rachel McCoy.

Delphia Shanks, the agency’s director of community development, said the family’s situation could indicate a future trend of more households caught between overdue bills and lack of available social service aid.

“We have people walking in all the time” seeking utility assistance, she said.

Community Action said a growing number of St. Joseph households face utility shutoffs but did not provide more specific data.

Ray Scherer can be reached at rscherer@npgco.com.