Rachael Ray opened up about the fire that devastated her home in early August during the season 15 premiere of The Rachael Ray Show. The clip has now been uploaded to her YouTube channel and shows footage of the aftermath of her home.
On August 9, Rachael's Lake Luzerne, NY, home caught on fire while she was preparing dinner. She described the day saying that her husband John went golfing with friends and she decided to prepare a big pasta dinner for him when he got back since that's his favorite. As he was upstairs changing, Rachael started a fire in their fireplace and just moments later, a passerby got their attention and let them know their roof was on fire.
Rachael and John went outside and saw the flames engulfing their home's roof before calling the fire department. "In the years that I lived here I learned an awful lot. In the few weeks since it's burned I think I've learned even more," Rachael says in the clip from the show.
The video shows b-roll of what is left of her home, and Rachael recalled trying to go upstairs to retrieve some valuables like medicine, notebooks, and her mother's high school ring before leaving the house. "You know, things that when your house is burning down you don't want to leave," she explained: "But when I ran to the top of the stairs I could hear the fire in the wall, I could hear the electricity, I could hear danger."
She credited her experience working with Leary Firefighters Foundation on fake controlled fires for her knowledge of fire safety. Rachael then said that she turned to leave the house, as did her husband, without retrieving any belongings besides their dog Bella.
After investigations, it turns out that the fire was caused by creosote buildup in their chimney. Although their home was less than 15 years old and they got their chimney cleaned twice a year, an ember from the buildup spit out from their chimney and caused the fire.
Despite the freak accident, Rachael and John both maintain that they are grateful to be alive and for all of the people reaching out. "I couldn't be more grateful. Grateful for my life, grateful that I can survive this and rebuild a home," Rachael said. "We're gonna get there stronger and better."
