Community rallies together to assist veteran after house fire

Air Force veteran Rick Dailey was out celebrating his son’s 18^th birthday party at the VFW post on June 12, when his whole life changed in an instant.

His son, Brock, who had recently graduated from Weatherford High School, left the party to pick up a friend and to grab a card game from the house, which was north of Granbury off of Weatherford Highway.  

As soon as Brock opened the front door, he saw that their house was filled with smoke.

“He calls my wife and says, ‘Mom, the house is on fire,’” Rick said, who spent more than 17 years in the Air Force. “I didn't know what to do. So, we jumped in the truck, and had him on speakerphone, and then while we were talking to him, I was dialing the fire department. My son was like, ‘You know, Dad, I got to get all the animals out,’ because we had six dogs in the house, and they were all in separate areas of the house.”

Brock managed to get all of the dogs out of the home while also attempting to put out the fire with an extinguisher — but was not able to get close enough to put out the flames.

By that time Rick and Tracy, his wife of 25 years, showed up to help along with several family members and friends.

But unfortunately, their troubles weren’t over yet.

“We have, like, a farm,” Rick said. “We love animals.”

While family and friends were herding their goats out of harm’s way, Rick broke a window, climbed into the house, and rescued four sugar gliders, a bearded dragon and a cat, which was unconscious.

Rick said during the chaos, two of his dogs managed to run back into the burning house.

“Well, one of the first firemen come out and he was carrying one of our dogs, and he was still alive, but during the process of that, another firefighter came out and they had our other dog, and he didn't make it,” Rick said. “My daughter saw it, and that was her dog ... if there's ever a moment in your life as a parent where you feel utterly useless, that was it. Because I mean, she just completely lost it.”

It took firefighters three hours to put the fire out. A fire investigator determined that the cause of the fire was from the dryer vent.

“My wife and I have always been afraid of a house fire. Always. It's been our number one thing, especially once we had kids and then with my granddaughter,” Rick said. “I mean, there's nothing anybody could really do about it. It happened so fast. I'm just glad that nobody was home because typically my son would have been home and where his bedroom was, I don't think he would have made it out.”

The Daileys lost two dogs and a cat in the fire.

Kelli Martin, founder of Operation Red, White and Blue (ORWB)— a non-profit that helps veterans in need — found out about the fire at the Dailey home and immediately sprang into action to help.

“ORWB actually does not provide financial assistance to veterans,” Martin said. “Our mission is to honor and serve veterans and military service members. So, when we heard about the fire, we thought we could help to raise money for the Daileys, bring media attention to the situation, to help raise awareness and garner financial support from the community, and get contractors to even return his calls or go out to the property. Until we got involved, he was having a hard time getting anyone to even return his phone calls. After our Facebook post, we got a call from Senator Brian Birdwell's office who made contact with the insurance company to ensure the Daileys were getting timely service from them and were abiding by terms of the policy.”

Rick’s current insurance policy only covers $3,500 for demolition and would not cover removing the old septic system or replacing it with a new one.

Martin is asking the local community for help. She started a GoFundMe campaign for Rick and his family and has raised almost $5,000. The Arlington Lions Club also donated $5,000, which covered the remaining cost of the demolition.

“Right now, the next financial need is having enough money to remove the old septic system and replace it with a newer unit, which will cost at least $15,000,” she said. “This cost is not covered by insurance. If people want to donate, they can mail a check to us and receive a tax donation letter for their records. We will pay the septic company directly with the funds raised.”

Martin is also asking the community to help with the meal train to continue feeding the Daileys.

Rick is also a member of a military motorcycle club called The Warrior Brotherhood — also a veteran assistance organization — and is not used to receiving so much help.

“I've worked with Kelli on various projects and when she heard about what happened out here, she asked me what we were going to do, and I told her ‘I don't know,’” he said. “I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm always the one out helping everybody else. I'm never on the other end of it. And she's like, ‘Well, I got this, don't worry about it.’”

“SSgt. Dailey has always been a big supporter of our organization and volunteered at special events we've held,” Martin stated. “For example, last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic we collected donations from the community to fill gift sacks for elderly veterans locked up in nursing and assisted living facilities. SSgt. Dailey and others volunteered to assemble the bags and deliver to various facilities.”

For now, Rick and Tracy — who is also an Air Force veteran — are residing in a camper on their property while their son, daughter and granddaughter are staying at the Quality Inn in Granbury.

He said the loss of his home and possessions has taken a toll on him both mentally and emotionally.

“I went out with my flashlight and had my dogs with me, and we were just walking through the rubble, and it was just, I don't know, it was just really eerie. I started to get a little emotional,” he said. “When you work your whole life to get what you want to be able to provide for your family and then in an instant, it's all gone...My brother put it best. He said, ‘You know, maybe this is God's way of humbling you a little bit and let you realize that no matter how hard you work, or whatever you accumulate, just a friendly reminder that it can all be gone in an instant, and then you have no choice but to pick up the pieces and rebuild.’”

Rick said he will try to keep a positive outlook as he’s looking forward to rebuilding their home the way they wanted it to look in the first place when they moved here almost eight years ago.

“Initially, this was only supposed to be a temporary solution when I moved here, because we wanted more land, and then we wanted a bigger house eventually,” he said.

He is grateful for the support from his neighbors, ORWB, the VFW posts, American Legion, The Warrior Brotherhood, and especially, Martin.

“I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay her for what she's done for me. But, you know, I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure that I put in the effort, and I'll pay it forward to the next person,” he said.

If you are interested in helping the Dailey family, please contact Martin at 817-888-0209 or kelli@operationredwhiteandblue.org. The GoFundMe link is gofundme.com/f/daileyhousefire.

“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” Rick added. “I feel fortunate because what happened to me, can happen to anybody. Honestly, I don't know if I even deserve the help that we've seen through all this, all the support, because I know there's people out there that have it way worse off than I do and that's where the focus needs to be.”