A well-known Tacoma guitarist jumped out a window to escape a fire. His guitars went first
It’s a nightmare dilemma 65-year-old Jim King has weighed in his mind many times, he said Tuesday. As a working musician, he’s surely not alone.
If a fire struck, would he risk the flames to save his beloved saxophone?
“I’ve always kind of wondered if I would do that,” King said. “Is it courageous or is it stupid, you know?”
For King’s friend and band mate, guitarist and songwriter Billy Stoops, let there be no doubt. When Stoops awoke to fire and smoke not long after sunrise on Sunday, June 13, the first thing he did was grab his three most prized guitars, including two custom-made electrics crafted by the late local musician and guitar maker Mike Skansie, a friend who died in 2017.
One by one, Stoops carefully threw the instruments out of the window of his second-story apartment, trying to make sure they landed in their cases just right to prevent damage.
Then, finally, he jumped, too.
“Of course, the first reaction is, ‘How’s (Stoops) doing?’” King said of his response to learning about the fire. “The second is: He actually threw three irreplaceable custom guitars out the window? I’ve been getting a chuckle out of that, kind of.”
According to Stoops, there wasn’t much time for deliberations. At first, he thought he’d woken to the sound of hail. Moments later, he saw the flames.
With his front door blocked, Stoops said he knew the window in the main room of his apartment was the only way out.
“It took me just a minute to kind of think, and realize I’m not going out that door. I looked around, and thought, ‘Well, I’m going to grab my guitars first,’” Stoops said of his immediate thought process during the blaze, which resulted in roughly $300,000 in damages to property and belongings, according to the Tacoma Fire Department.
By the time the instruments were safely on the ground, “the kitchen window had blown up and … the flames were coming into the apartment, and I realized I had no time left,” Stoops said.
It’s a story Stoops — who is well-known for his work in the roots and Americana band Junkyard Jane — recounted this week from a hospital bed at Tacoma General, where he was being treated for a broken sacrum, which is a triangular bone in the spine, just above the tailbone. He was hoarse from the smoke and sore from the fall, but — as longtime fans of the 70-year-old twangy rocker have come to expect — he was also adamant that he’d be back on stage soon.
After more than a year of being forced into musical hiatus — save for recording and the regular live-streamed events that have provided much needed pandemic income — the timing of the fire at Stoops’ apartment could hardly be worse, according to Leanne Trevalyan, his Junkyard Jane band mate of nearly 25 years.
Stoops and his solo band — the Dirt Angels — had been preparing for two record-release shows, including one scheduled for June 26 at Jazzbones, Trevalyan noted.
Now, Stoops said, it likely will be a while longer before he’s able to perform live again.
Trevalyn said Tuesday that getting back on stage is just one of the challenges ahead for her friend and longtime collaborator.
While Stoops still has his instruments, most of his other belongings were lost in the flames, which the Tacoma Fire Department believes started accidentally in the back of the two story house that’s been converted into four small apartments. When Stoops is released from the hospital, he’ll need a new place to live, among other things, Trevalyan said.
Trevalyan said she’s glad it wasn’t worse, and she’s not alone. From outside his hospital room at TG, Stoops’ brother, Stephen, said “Billy’s a tough guy,” but acknowledged that his brother is “bruised up pretty good” and will likely be dealing with the injuries he sustained for some time.
Outside the hospital, local music fans and area musicians have begun rallying in support of Stoops, raising money and sending well wishes. It’s not a first for the Kentucky-born musician who long ago relocated to the Pacific Northwest and has amassed a sizable fan base in the time since. In 2005, Stoops — who was uninsured at the time — had surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cords, aided in part by a local benefit show, according to a story in The News Tribune archive by former music columnist Rick Nelson.
“I really appreciate all the love and support from all the family and friends and fans,” Stoops said of the current outpouring. “I wish I could answer every one individually. Feel so blessed that they are all there. I definitely feel the love.”
With the potential of a weeks-long recovery ahead, Stoops said he’s as eager to get back to work.
He admitted, however, that he might have to take it easy, at least at first.
“I’ll swing back,” Stoops assured. “After jumping out of a two-story window, I’ll probably be a little less apt to jump off the bar. But I don’t know. Maybe it’ll be easier.”
As for saving the guitars, Stoops said he had no regrets. He would do it all again, he said, if he had to.
Was it stupid or courageous?
Probably a little of both, he admitted.
“I didn’t have time to think about anything except those guitars,” Stoops said.
“They just mean a lot to me.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 1:00 PM.
