Veteran loses everything, including medals, in house fire
A young Army veteran just back from active duty in Afghanistan, his wife and his mother lost everything — including the soldier’s numerous military medals and citations — in a mobile-home fire early Monday at Forest Acres near Whitefish.
Ryan Pengelly and his wife of six months, Crystal Pengelly, and his mother, Bonnie Pengelly, who was living with the couple, escaped the burning single-wide trailer just before 2 a.m. after they were awakened by a smoke alarm.
They fled in bare feet and pajamas and managed to save their dog and two newborn kittens.
“It was down in 20 minutes,” Crystal said. “We were in our pajamas and underwear.”
The fire was caused by a malfunctioning flue in the wood stove, according to Whitefish Fire Chief Tom Kennelly. The emergency call came in at 1:49 a.m. Whitefish Fire Department responded, with backup assistance and water tenders supplied by Evergreen, Columbia Falls and West Valley fire departments.
“A trailer doesn’t last very long” when it’s fully engulfed, Kennelly said. “They definitely avoided a tragedy.”
A nearby propane tank did not ignite, and the family’s vehicles were saved as neighbors pitched in to get them away from the fire.
Ryan Pengelly, 25, has served seven years in the military and returned from Afghanistan a month ago. He completed two tours in Afghanistan and one tour in Irag, where he survived a bomb blast and still is recovering from a brain injury.
Lost in the inferno were his medals for humanitarian service, Army commendation, Army achievement and good conduct, along with his uniform and an irreplaceable military ring.
Pengelly still is on active duty until Nov. 18, and has signed on with the 639th Quartermaster Co. to complete his remaining year of service with the National Guard.
Neighbors in the mobile-home park rallied to help the fire victims. Marge Davis, who lives across the street, alerted other neighbors. They immediately supplied blankets, coats, shoes and food, and Davis opened her home as a makeshift shelter for the Pengellys.
“We’re all really close. We kind of look out for each other,” said Denise Atchinson, who with her husband, Rusty, manage Forest Acres.
Jerry Schwegel, who lives a few lots down from the Pengellys, is moving soon and plans to donate his mobile home to the Pengellys, Atchinson said.
There was very little to salvage from the debris as the family sifted through the ashes Monday afternoon.
Bonnie Pengelly, a traveling certified nursing assistant, said she lost her driver’s license, CNA license and all of her nursing uniforms. Her albino frog and several fish in an aquarium perished in the fire.
“We didn’t have time. We just ran,” she said.
The family didn’t have homeowners’ insurance.
“That was my next step,” Bonnie said. “I just haven’t had the money.”
The American Red Cross has been in touch with the family and is providing assistance.
Ryan’s sister, Crystal Atchinson, is coordinating donations of essential household goods to get the family back on its feet. She can be reached by cellphone at 885-1159.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com