WSB's Sandra Parrish reports Barbara Wolfe seems to be taking in stride the reality that her home of 2.5 years is condemned and has to be destroyed.

"I'm good," says Wolfe. "I'm sure it'll hit me."

Wolfe tells WSB she was eating dinner at the time, and heard a loud crashing noise. When she got up to go to the front door to investigate, she saw that the crane had toppled. "When I saw the crane on its side, I ran outside to see if the guy was okay," Wolfe says. Then, she realized the crane had actually gone through her house and that her home was on fire.

Neighbors put out the fire and rescued one of Wolfe's dogs, which was trapped inside. Two other dogs left the house with Wolfe. Wolfe is now waiting to see whether officials will allow her to re-enter her home to salvage her belongings. She plans to stay with friends for now, and says she would eventually hope to rebuild in that neighborhood.

The owner of the tree-cutting service blames a subcontractor's "operator error" for the accident. For his part, the owner denies reports that he asked Wolfe to pay him for the work already completed before the crane fell through the home. Wolfe is standing by her statement.

"He pulled me aside and told me he'd finished two-thirds of the job and he wanted me to pay him two-thirds of the contract," says Wolfe, chuckling. "I laughed and said 'I'm not paying you anything.' He just walked away. He asked me that two or three times. He needed the money to pay his men."

Wednesday, 6.2.2004