House fire, burglaries and health problems hit Lincoln family all at once

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A little over one month has passed since Tammy and David Kenny’s home caught fire while they were out getting groceries.

It destroyed the kitchen and damaged the rooms around it, but luckily, the house can be restored.

The Kennys’ dog turned a dial on the gas stove, starting the blaze.

“The heat was so strong, and the smoke was so bad, the neighbors thought we were inside, dead,” Tammy said. “But we weren’t, thank God.”

It will be months before they can move back into their home.

Since most of their belongings weren’t damaged, they left them in the house.

But not long after the fire, they were hit with another devastating realization.

“My husband stopped by,” Tammy said. “We drive by here every day just to watch our stuff.”

Burglars had broken into their pickup truck and stolen things out of the bed.

Personal belongings had been stolen from inside the home and the garage as well.

The burglars had broken in through the dog door to access the house.

Jewelry and things that had been passed down through the family were missing.

Their wedding albums and yearbooks had been taken as well.

Most of the items didn’t have much monetary value, but they did have plenty of sentimental meaning.

“They even stole our class rings,” Tammy said. “I don’t see the point of that.”

And yet another hardship came when David had health complications.

“My husband had to be in the hospital for two weeks, too, during all of this,” Tammy said.

Lincoln Police have not yet found the burglars or the stolen items.

And now, the house is emptied out.

“It was hard at first, but now, I’m kind of getting used to it,” Tammy said.

David is out of the hospital now, and Tammy said they’re working to rebuild their lives.

“We’re staying together, and we talk about it,” she said. “We’re just there for each other.”