Meadow Valley residence burns; donations sought to help homeowner
A fire destroyed a residence at 9800 Bucks Lake Road in Meadow Valley on March 7. Luckily the resident was not home at the time. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The home belonged to a well-known family in the area — the Blesses. Bob Blesse, 76, the eldest of four siblings, lived in the home that he built with his wife, Janet, in 1972. Bob is now staying with his sister and brother-in-law Mike Smith and Sue Blesse Smith. And that’s where he was the night that his house burned down.
The Smiths live approximately 300 yards from the Blesse home and Bob was having dinner with couple. Because of the deep snow, they persuaded Bob to spend the night.
“The next morning when I got up to plow the driveway, I saw that it had burned down,” Mike Smith said. When asked why they didn’t see, hear or smell the fire, Mike explained that though the homes are in rather close proximity, there is a knoll between the two residences. The knoll would obscure the view and he surmised that the falling snow dulled the sounds and smells.
There are numerous Blesses living in the Quincy area, including four children of Bob and Janet Blesse. For many years, Janet worked as the secretary to the principal at Quincy High School and Bob was an inspector for the county planning department.
To help Bob replace some of his possessions, a fund has been set up at Plumas Bank to accept donations. Checks can be sent to:
Plumas Bank at 336 W. Main St., Quincy, CA 95971
Or mail to Mike and Sue Smith, PO Box 104, Meadow Valley, CA 95956
Please indicate that the checks are for the Bob Blesse account.
Bob Blesse, who resided in this home, lost everything in the fire. He is now staying with family members who lived nearby. A fund has been set up at Plumas Bank to help Bob replace some of his belongings. Photo submitted
