Fire leaves mom, son homeless

A mother and her young son are homeless after a fire destroyed their rented Columbia Falls home Tuesday evening.

No injuries were reported in the fire, but the mobile home at 684 South Hilltop Road is a total loss, according to Columbia Falls Fire Chief Rick Hagen.

“I could not confirm they had working smoke alarms in that structure, and that really bothers me,” Hagen said. “This was a very fast fire. Had it happened at night, the results very well may have been different.”

Phylicia Toren, 23, and her son Jace, 5, were in the home when the fire started.

Neighbors called 911 at 7:37 p.m. and the Columbia Falls Fire Department and Three Rivers EMS were on scene in 10 minutes. Flames were knocked down within 20 minutes and crews cleared the scene at 9:34 p.m.

Hagen said the fire probably began in the laundry/bathroom area in the vicinity of the dryer, which was running. He said he can’t confirm the exact ignition point.

Toren had started a load of laundry, then headed to the living room with her son. But when she walked down the hall a little later to check on the laundry, she saw flames consuming her bedroom. After trying but failing to beat down the fire, she grabbed Jace and ran outside.

Fire crews were able to save some photo albums in the home, including a picture of Toren’s daughter Jaylee, who succumbed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome three years ago. But the Torens lost all of their clothing.

Toren did not have renters insurance and the landlord had not insured the house.

The Red Cross is providing assistance to the Torens.

“We allot for groceries for one week and for two sets of clothing each,” said Mark Reasner, volunteer head of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team. He said the Torens also will be provided three nights in a hotel. It’s enough, he said, to cover immediate basic needs.

Reasner said Toren has family members in the area who have been helping out.

The south end of the mobile home, rear bedroom and bath/laundry area sustained extensive fire damage as did the roof.

The rest of the home suffered smoke damage.

When firefighters arrived, the fire was in the back two rooms and extending into the ceiling, which crews had to open up to get at the flames.

The fire was fought by 22 firefighters with two engines, two water tenders and heavy rescue, command and utility vehicles from the Columbia Falls Fire Department

According to Hagen, the home owner said there should have been working smoke detectors in the house. Hagen said Toren didn’t know if there were any.

The Hungry Horse News contributed to this story.

Reporter Melissa Weaver may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at mweaver@dailyinterlake.com