Family, volunteers pull together after fire

Ryan Pengelly and his wife Crystal watched volunteers tear apart what remained of their home Saturday.

The single-wide trailer had caught on fire early Monday due to a malfunctioning flue in a wood stove. Relatives, neighbors and strangers joined them at the trailer, located in Forest Acres near Whitefish, to clean up and haul away the wreckage. The volunteers were welcomed with food, coffee and a fire pit.

Volunteer Nick Aemisegger III,15, of Kalispell, was busy picking through the debris when he found a Polaroid photo. Brushing off the ashes he handed it over to Ryan Pengelly.

“That’s my aunt Tammy.” Pengelly said.

Besides the blackened corners, an image of a young girl was still visible, standing and smiling, wearing a long dress. He placed the photo on a small pile of items salvaged from the trailer — among them a childhood collection of toy police cars still in their boxes, vases coated in gray ash and scorched piggy banks  — encircling an evergreen tree.

The wood stove was located in an addition next to the Pengellys’ bedroom. When smoke started filling the trailer, setting off their fire alarm, the Pengellys raced past the flames and out of the trailer with their dog and two kittens in tow.

 Pengelly, 25, returned from his second tour of Afghanistan about a month ago. He has also served one tour in Iraq, where he survived a bomb blast and is still recovering from a brain injury. His military uniform, citations, military ring and several military medals were lost in the blaze.

According to his sister, Crystal Achison, several U.S. senators are working to replace his medals.

His mother Bonnie Pengelly also lived with them in the trailer, and lost other valuables such as her driver’s license, Certified Nursing Assistant license, nursing uniforms and two pets — a frog and a fish.

Ryan and Crystal are newlyweds of six months.

“We haven’t had a chance to go on our honeymoon yet,” Crystal said, sighing heavily. “He came home for his granddad’s funeral and missed that. We ended up getting married while he was home a week and then he went back (to Afghanistan).”

Adding to the burden, Ryan’s grandmother died a few weeks ago.

The Pengellys did not have homeowner’s insurance, and many people have stepped up to help donate necessities. Among them is Jerry Schwegel, who plans to donate his trailer to them after he moves according to relative Denise Atchinson. Atchinson manages Forest Acres with her husband Rusty.

Schwegel’s trailer is located a few lots down across the street.

For now, the Pengellys are staying with Crystal Atchinson and her husband Ryan.

Ryan Atchinson walked around surveying the ruined trailer. Despite the structural damage, he said the firefighters did a great job putting the fire out before it reached the neighbors propane tanks

“This is where the kitchen was, living room, bedroom with washer and dryer, bathroom and their room,” he said, indicating different areas. “On the other side was the addition with wood stove. Amazingly, everything in this room was the least amount of damage. They had gotten a new TV and new computer still in the box. I found half of the TV.”

Lying on the ground nearby was a  section of the wood stove’s chimney. Yellowed pine needles from surrounding trees fluttered down, speckling the blackened remains. Among those charred remains were dashes of color — covers of VHS tapes, metallic CDs, a pair of blue jeans, white pages from a dictionary and part of a crocheted quilt.

Crystal Atchinson walked up to her husband holding a damaged box with a floral print. She partially pried open the lid, revealing jewelry inside.

“This is more of mom’s,” she said. 

Volunteer Nick Aemisegger Jr., was on top of the trailer, raking up piles of charred material. When asked by fellow volunteer Steve Compton, they learned neither of them had known the Pengellys before that day.

“Steve has a real heart for service,” Aemisegger said. “We’re always looking for opportunities to serve. It’s especially meaningful with Veteran’s Day to help somebody who served our country.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.