Our Flag Was Still There: Fire Destroys Home, Leaves American Flag Unscathed

By Tyler Maheu
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT – When a fire this past winter struck Levi Blake’s home at 181 South St., Claremont, he feared all was lost.

“I had a house fire, one of those two nights we went through the cold spell in winter,” he said. “I think it was below 20 degrees.”

At about 2 a.m. that morning, Blake heard the smoke detectors go off in his apartment building and he began to smell plastic.

At this time, he sprung into action, awakening his roommate and neighbors as his apartment began to fill with smoke.

“I barely got a chance to put clothes on,” he laughed. “I went down stairs and started banging on all the doors to get everyone awake.”

The American Red Cross then came, and put the residents in the local community center. “Claremont was decent for opening the center for us,” he said.

Later that day, Blake returned to his charred home to find the fire department doing an investigation. He asked if anything had survived the blaze, and was told no.

“I told them the only thing I cared about was my dad’s flag and dog tags,” he said.

Hours later, the police department told him to come back and brought him a plastic bag. Inside that bag was his father’s American flag.

“The Fire burned the oak case around the flag, but the flag didn’t burn, it survived,” he said. Along with his father’s metal dog tags, the flag was all that remained.

His father, Levi Leo Blake Jr., was a Vietnam veteran, having served from 1968-1970. He was also a member of the Claremont American Legion Post 29.

“He passed away 14 years ago from lung cancer,” explained the son. “When he passed, the Legion did their 21-gun salute and folding of the flag.” Remembering this, Blake reached back out to the post upon receiving the untarnished flag.

“When they gave the flag back to me, I called the American Legion,” he said. “Their hospitality was absolutely amazing. They ended up getting my dads flag dry-cleaned and told me they were going to do another folding of the flag. Last time it was folded was over his casket.”

At the May 29 Memorial Day Celebration at Broad Street Park, the American Legion did just that. Re-dedicating the flag, and presenting it to Blake.

“I don’t know if there’s words; it is just the world,” he said of what the ceremony and moment meant to him. “I don’t have many things left of my dad and having that flag stands for many things. It is what my dad stood for and fought for, everything that I love about my dad. It means the world to me.”