Fire halted in basement of home

Thanks to the quick reaction of a neighbor and swift response from stretched-thin fire departments, a fire in a house on Garland Street in Kalispell was knocked down before it engulfed the entire home.

Mark Wilson, who lives several houses away, was coming home for lunch when he noticed smoke billowing from a small basement window on the south side of 214 Garland St.

“The smoke caught my attention and I called 911 right away,” he said. “I started pounding on the door. Luckily the fire department got here quickly.”

Another neighbor got a hose and started spraying the flames from the back of the house while knocking on the back door.

Two Kalispell Fire Department engines responded, along with crews from Evergreen, Whitefish and Smith Valley. The Kalispell Police Department, Flathead Electric Cooperative and the American Red Cross were on hand as well.

According to Kalispell Fire Chief Dave Dedman, the house and the basement apartment were both vacant.

“We’re glad to have got here as fast as we did,” Dedman said. “All of us were on other calls. The closest engine was on a medical call in the area and more medical calls are coming in as we’re working.”

Smoke damage to the outside of the house near that basement window was evident.

“Most of the fire was controlled from the exterior prior to crews entering the home,” according to a Kalispell Fire Department news release. The fire was confined to the basement.

D.C. Haas, West Valley fire chief, said crews were working in shifts inside the home because of the heat, only to come outside and not get much respite from smoke. Crews in rotation would come out, hydrate and head back in.

Initial damage estimates are around $50,000 due to smoke. No cause has been determined yet.

Ronnie Laudati had owned the property “for at least 10 years,” her son Grant said. A renter lived in the basement.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.