NATCHEZ &045; Family possessions and dreams lie in the charred remains of Montrell and Bessie Allen’s Live Oak Drive home, which burned July 7.

Their tragedy was complicated by distance &045; Montrell was in Iraq when the fire occurred. Bessie was at home with their three young children, including the five-month-old daughter he had not yet seen.

&uot;I had it so beautiful inside. He didn’t get to see that,&uot; Bessie said, describing some of the decorating she had done since her husband had left for Iraq in early January with the 155th Brigade of the Mississippi National Guard.

&uot;It’s a disaster,&uot; she said. &uot;I think about the kids’ pictures, our wedding tapes that we liked to get out and watch every anniversary, the family portrait &045; things I value that you can’t replace.&uot;

A fellow 155th guardsman and a friend who was on leave in Natchez last week made the call to Montrell in Iraq. Emotions were overflowing by then, Bessie said. It took her a while to become composed enough to speak to her husband.

&uot;He said to me, ‘as long as you and the kids are OK, we’ll be fine. We can start over,’&uot; she said. Knowing he was coming home was comforting.

For Montrell, the shocking news and the e-mailed photographs were devastating. &uot;It really didn’t sink in until I left the company area in Iraq,&uot; he said.

He began to reflect on the loss as he made the long trip back to Natchez. &uot;I love my house. It’s my dream house.&uot;

And he did not know how to sort out the two emotions he felt as he headed home from Iraq &045; on the one hand, to see his home destroyed; on the other, to see his daughter, Jada, for the first time.

Bessie was on the telephone that Thursday afternoon. She first noticed a little smoke, then saw an artificial plant on fire. &uot;I couldn’t find the fire extinguisher,&uot; she said. &uot;My niece was here. She was with the children. I called to her to grab the kids and let’s get out.&uot;

Crossing the street to a neighbor’s house to call the fire department, she knew the fire was growing by the minute. &uot;I could hear the noise of the fire and hear everything falling. And I could smell the smoke,&uot; she said.

Neighbors up and down the street came to comfort her as firefighters arrived and began to battle the flames. &uot;They were wonderful neighbors,&uot; Bessie said.

A friend of the family crawled into the burning house and retrieved keys to three vehicles so they could be moved and saved.

The Allens walked around the house on Wednesday, only a day after he arrived back in Natchez. They looked again at the roof that has fallen, the blackened furniture, thick ashes that once were their comfort areas &045; kitchen, den, bedrooms &045; now gone. They pointed to azaleas on one side of the house, now burned.

&uot;We like this spot. We love this neighborhood,&uot; Montrell said. &uot;We love our neighbors. We all take care of each other. I’m going to rebuild right here.&uot;

Holding his daughter in his arms as he walked around the remains of the house, he talked about seeing her for the first time.

&uot;I had these two emotions going, seeing her for the first time and then seeing my house burned to ashes,&uot; he said. &uot;I picked her up, and she looked at me like she knew who I was. I used to talk to her while Bessie was pregnant I think she knew my voice.&uot;

His first day in Iraq was Jan. 3. His daughter was born Jan. 31. The couple’s two sons are Montrell Jr., 5, and Trevarious, 2 1/2.

Whether he will return to Iraq or remain in Natchez on leave for longer than the two weeks he now has is not clear, Montrell said. &uot;I may get hardship leave. This is too much for Bessie to handle by herself.&uot;

When he left his unit in Iraq, his fellow guardsmen presented him with $1,500 they had collected to help him. He is depositing it in an account at Old South Credit Union, calling it &uot;Help a Soldier Fund.&uot; Anyone who wants to contribute may do so.

As word of the fire has traveled, Bessie has had gifts of clothing offered, both for herself and for the three children.

Montrell, a former car salesman, is sure the family will rebound. Recently he was asked to become the head Army recruiter for the Natchez area after his current tour of duty ends. &uot;I’ll go from selling Toyotas to selling the U.S. Army and National Guard here in Natchez,&uot; he said. &uot;God’s going to help us get through this.&uot;