22 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 - MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2013 N]WS Cape Gazette
RYAN MAVlTY PHOTO
REHOBOTH BEACH SINGER/SONGWRITER VIKI DEE surveys damage caused by a fire that destroyed her home
Oct. 20. The fire caused $70,000 in damage and took the lives of Dee's pets - a dog, a cat and a cockatoo.
Viki Dee
Continued from page 1
"I put a lot of money into the
house," Dee said. "It was really
painful to watch that happen."_
After performing at Delaware
Distilling Company Oct. 20, Dee
came home to find her house
smothered in smoke. The fire
caused $70,000 in damage, and it
took aof Dee's most cherished
possessions: a dog, a cat and a
cockatoo all perished.
"It's hard," she said. "I'm left
with nothing but the clothes
that were on my back. I don't
have anything. I'm really starting
over. I'm blessed to be alive. But
the animals, that's what breaks
my heart."
Dee said when she came home
from her performance, her bed-
room was still in flames. She
tried to enter the front door.
When* she did, Dee said, the
backdraft blew her off the porch.
She dialed 911, and frantically
called for her dog, Philip.
"The smoke was just huge. I
couldn't even see," Dee said.
Investigators' initial assess-
ment, she said, is that it was an
electrical fire caused by wiring.
Her house was insured, but
Dee is most emotional about the
things she can't get back.
Phillip was 13 years old, and
her cockatoo had just turned 24.
"They were my family. He was
my boy," Dee said of Phillip. "I
tell everybody I miss my boy
every Nay. I can't get that back.
I don't care about the house as
much as I care about them."
It was only when she began to
go through the house to see what
was salvagable that what hap-
pened began to sink in. Dee said
watching her home go.up was a
helpless feeling.
"I felt like I was having an out-
of-body experience," she said.
"Every thing was surreal. It's
still surreal. It's unimaginable.
The word shock isn't even a big
enough word. I couldn't believe
the effect of what a fire can re-
ally do2
In addition to her animals, Dee
also lost all of her work- songs
and lyrics - as well as family
keepsakes.
"It's so much more than
losing a home; it's what it rep-
resented," Dee-said. "I had my
father's things in there, and he's
deceased, so I have nothing of
his anymore. People think the
memory is compensation, and
it's really not. You want to hold
something tangible."
Dee is staying with friends as
investigators continue to deter-
mine the cause of the fire. She
said she has been overwhelmed
by the support of the community,
who have helped with donations
and support.
"I think it's what's kept me
going," Dee said, choking back
tears. "It says something about
this community when people
are in need - they're right there
to help in any way they can. I'm
blessed beyond belief. They're
my angels."
She said her mother and her
sister are flying in from Los
Angeles to provide support. Dee
has decided to cancel her perfor-
mances for the immediate future.
"I don't have it in me," Dee
said, "It takes a lot. I can't stand
very long. I can't concentrate
very much. I'm a little out of
sorts. I'm just going to take a
break for a little while to get
my head together and get some
strength back. Then I'll go back
up"
She said she doesn't plan to be
away from the stage for too long,
but for now, she doesn't want the
stress of her situation to affect
her performance.
"It won't be long, because I
know I'll miss it," she said.
Dee's friends will host a Satur-
day, Nov. 16 fundraiser.
The fundraiser will be held
from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Rusty
Rudder in Dewey Beach. Orga-
nizer Mary Ann Slinkman said
Rusty Rudder owner Alex Pires
has donated not only the Rud-
der, but the food for a spaghetti
dinner, desserts and drinks from
the cash bar.
The fundraiser requires $25
tickets, which can be purchased
at Maggio Shields Realty on
Route 1 and at Sign A Rama on
Rehoboth Avenue Extended.
One hundred percent of the
proceeds will go to Dee, Slink-
man said, and the night will
feature a roster of local enter-
tainers.
Pires said, "She's a wonderful
person, a talented singer/musi-
cian. Viki's had a bad break but
needs to know the community
is going to help her get back on
her feet."
Dee is aware of the benefit and
was thankful to Pires for donat-
ing the space.
"I think I'm going to be a
wreck," she joked.
Despite all she's been through,
Dee said she is trying to stay
positive.
"It's a whole new lesson. I've
never experienced this lesson.
It's a new life. It's a brand-new
life. I guess the positive aspect of
it is I've been given a new begin-
ning. It's going to be different,"
she said.
Cape Henlopen School District
Lewes, Delaware
School Choice
Public Information Session
Cape Heniopen School District
Robert Fulton, Superintendent of the Cape Henlopen
School District, will Share information regarding school
choice opportunities available in the Cape Henlopen
School District for the 2014-2015 school year.
Monday, October 28, 2013
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Cape Henlopen High School Theatre
Questions should be directed
to the Office of the Superintendent
302. 645. 6686
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