Family loses belongings in home fire

A Ferndale family will celebrate Christmas with very little after losing everything in a Sunday morning fire that destroyed their rental home on Wapiti Lane.

Logan and Jennifer Mahlum and their two sons, James, 4, and Chad, 10 months, are staying temporarily at Logan's father's home while they search for a new place to live, Jennifer Mahlum said Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters from five rural departments battled the blaze in freezing temperatures and deep snow; the home was a total loss.

The cause of the fire still is being investigated. Jennifer said there was a space heater in one of the bedrooms, but didn't know if that's what caused the fire. The Mahlums did not have renters insurance.

"I don't even know what to start doing," Jennifer said, reacting to the shock of losing everything. "My mom died a year and a half ago and I had a lot of her things that just can't be replaced, like her hope chest.

"It's completely gone. Everything's gone," she said. "Life's throwing us a hard one."

The Mahlums also lost many of the Christmas presents they and Logan's parents had purchased. Because Logan's mother recently moved to California, the family had agreed to take the presents and gift-wrap them, Jennifer said.

The community is rallying around the young family, though, organizing a fund drive. Donations may be sent in checks made payable to Jennifer Mahlum to the Mahlum family at P.O. Box 2711, Kalispell, MT 59903. Gift cards for clothing and home furnishings also would be appreciated.

Donations of household goods and clothing may be dropped off at Valley Motors, 2227 U.S. 2 East in Kalispell. James wears size 5T shirts and 4T pants; Chad wears 6 months size clothing. Jennifer could use small shirts and size 5 pants; Logan wears 33- to 34-waist pants and large shirts.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com