Fire destroys home northwest of Kalispell
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12px;">West Valley and Smith Valley fire departments were among four departments to respond to a structure fire near West Valley Drive and Martin Creek Lane on Monday evening, south of Whitefish. </span></p>
<p>Flames envelop a home along the Stillwater River northwest of Kalispell Monday night. (Brian Crandell photo)</p>
<p>A burning home on Martin Creek Lane is reflected in the Stillwater River on Monday night. (Brian Crandell photo)</p>
<p class="p1">Smoke billows from a custom-made home on North Pines Road in the West Valley Monday evening approximately 90 minutes after a fully involved blaze was reported at the structure south of Whitefish. </p>
<p class="p1">NEIGHBOR BRANT HORN took this photo shortly after firefighters arrived, but after the residence on North Pines Road was already engulfed in flames. Horn lives across the Stillwater River from the fire and reported that the home appeared to be a total loss. Horn is circulation director for the Daily Inter Lake.</p>
Firefighters from at least four fire departments responded Monday evening to a major house fire on North Pines Road in the West Valley.
According to the consolidated Flathead County dispatch center, the report of a structure “fully engulfed” came in at 7:14 p.m. It is believed that no one was in the residence at the time of the fire.
The home is in West Valley near the Ray Kuhns Wildlife Management Area. Firefighters from West Valley, Smith Valley, and South Kalispell responded to the fire, as well as the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. An additional request for a fire tender from the Kalispell Fire Department came in at 8:17 p.m. and other departments may also have responded.
Floyd Bechtold, father of one of the owners, said the owners are Jerry and Kristin Nielsen. They were out of town in New Orleans at the time of the fire.
“It was amazing how fast it went,“ he said. The large, custom-made home appeared to be a total loss. Bechtold said his daughter was particularly distraught over the loss of family heirlooms and personal property that was irreplaceable.