Fire destroys family's home in Essex

The Essex home of Fred and Kathy Fekete was destroyed by fire late Monday afternoon.

The fire that consumed the home on U.S. 2 may have been caused by a generator that turned on after electricity went out due to a power-line fire earlier in the day.

The Feketes had lived in the house for 28 years, Kathy Fekete said.

Much of Essex was without power due to a smaller fire that involved a downed power line on the side of the highway less than a mile from the Fekete residence.

“I wasn’t home when it started,” Kathy Fekete said. “I guess my husband and niece had just come in. I think it was the generator, and it went up really fast.”

Fred Fekete, his niece and her family all were in the house when the fire started. They and the family dog made it out safely.

“All I know is it started on the back porch,” Fred Fekete said.

“The power was out, so there was no pressure in the [water] tank. We didn’t have any water,” Fekete said. “I threw the dog’s bucket of water on it and had to get out. It was so smoky.”

Fekete ran back into the kitchen and grabbed his computer and a safe that was still packed from last summer’s evacuation due to the Sheep Fire.

The power-line fire earlier in the day meant emergency responders were still in the area. Firefighters from Coram-West Glacier were able to get to the Fekete house within 10 minutes, Fred Fekete said. Firefighters from Martin City also responded.

U.S. Forest Service fire crews also arrived to help.