Woman describes fire that ripped through her home

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    REXBURG, Idaho (East Idaho News) — After a family experienced the tragedy of a fire ripping through their Madison County home, it serves as a reminder that home fires can happen to anyone.

Mindy Fry started cooking bacon on Nov. 8 before 7 p.m. inside the kitchen of her home outside of Rexburg. Fry said she turned on another burner to start cooking eggs when the family dog needed to be let outside to relieve itself. By the time Fry opened the door and came back, it was too late.

“It happened in less than a minute,” Fry said. “It was one little spark, and the whole thing went up.”

With the fire growing, Fry said she grabbed an extinguisher. The fire spread to paper towels near the stove and onto the cabinets.

“It just grew too fast, and I knew there was no way I was getting it out, so I found the dog and went outside and called 911,” Fry said. “I made sure to shut the door to cut off the oxygen.”

Within minutes, the Madison Fire Department arrived at the home and found a “rapidly growing” fire. Firefighters rushed inside and used their hoses to put out the flames. Despite everyone’s efforts, the damage was significant.

“I could see the flames through the window by the time I got the number (911) dialed,” Fry said. “It’s a total loss.”

Despite initial damage estimates by the fire department being in the $50,000 range, Fry said further evaluation has determined the family will have to gut the house to the frame and rebuild from there. Total restoration is expected to take at least six more months.

“It happens faster than you think,” Fry said. “Sometimes, no matter what you try, there are some things you can’t do, and you just got to be more aware.”

Fires in eastern Idaho are more common than people may think. The same week Fry’s home went up in flames, the Madison Fire Department responded to at least four other structure fires. From the complete loss of newlyweds’ mobile home to the fire that ravaged Moody Produce in Sugar City, dozens across eastern Idaho have been impacted by recent fires.

“Whenever a tragedy happens to somebody, maybe think about it and don’t mock or make names,” Fry said. “People just need to be mindful and more considerate of what they’re saying.”

This time of year, as temperatures drop and families gather around the tables for holiday meals, home fires statistically rise. Improperly used festive decorations can also increase the risk of fires.

The National Fire Prevention Association reminds people to choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant. They also recommend to turn off all light strings
and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

“Even if you’ve taken every precaution that you can think of … it just takes a second of turning your back and walking away for flames to start and for a fire to get out of control quickly,” Idaho Falls Fire Department spokeswoman Kerry Hammon said.

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