HONOLULU -- Six-year-old Gabriel Reed plays with Legos, while his parents piece together much more. On Dec. 16, Andrea Reed and her two children left their rented Kailua home, no more than 15 minutes later flames consumed the single-story structure. “When I saw the huge flames, just you know travelling up from the air, I knew it would be bad,” said Andrea Reed.
The family is safe this holiday season but the fire destroyed nearly everything -- the children's baby photos, treasured wedding gifts but what still brings tears, is the loss of Ranger, a pet Labrador. “We were just so thankful that we were out of the house but so sad that our family pet was in the house,” said Andrea. However, the Reeds fear what caused the fire poses a hidden danger in other homes. “It was due to an after-market Wii handset charger not a Wii brand product, but an after-market product that we had for over two years,” said Brady Reed.
Fire investigators found the recharging station likely overheated and sparked the blaze. In 2009, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled a similar battery charger for starting fires, leading to injuries. Though the fire investigation is ongoing, the Reeds believe if their device was part of any recall, one way they could have known is by registering the product, something they didn't do.
“I won’t make that mistake again if it’s electronic. Had we registered the product and had the email connection perhaps we would have learned of the recall,” said Brady Reed. Helping the Reeds are their family, friends, churches and military ohana donated toys, who donated food and much more helping make their Christmas special. Also thanks to an angel the family has Hayden, a 2-year-old golden retriever. “The overwhelming amount of love and support we've received is beyond our imagination,” said Brady Reed.