POST FALLS, Idaho – A shed that caught fire just after 8 p.m. Friday destroyed nearly everything in the shed, except a family trunk containing priceless family artifacts.
The Kootenai County Fire & Rescue said that they received calls at 8:15 p.m. of a shed fire and were able to knock the fire down and contain it in 30 minutes.
Cheyenne Wright said she was walking back to her house from her family dinner when she saw the shed in flames.
Tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools that Wright’s dad Gene had been collecting to start a local repair business were lost in the fire. Only a fraction of the tools survived.
“Yesterday about four hours before the fire started, we pulled all the tools out of the van so we could clean the van and set up shelves, and we put all the tools in the shop,” Wright said.
After the fire was put out, Wright went into the house to console her dad.
“In the pitch black of the main house he was sitting there playing his guitar holding himself together. It was, I think, the saddest thing I’ve seen in my whole life,” Wright said.
Wright said in their family chest there were family heirlooms from generations of family members.
“If he could pull one thing out of that fire it would be the chest,” Wright said.
The chest survived the fire, leaving pieces of family history intact. Wright said that mattered the most
“People aren’t replaceable and things are. And nobody, no animals were hurt. We can come back from this. The Watermans were a tough breed, and so, this won’t be what knocks us down too hard,” Wright said.
To make the dream of helping others a reality for their dad, they are asking for some help themselves.
“Mechanics or carpenters or electricians, or tradesmen of any kind that might have power tools, hand tools, materials of any kind, that if anyone has lumber to start rebuilding,” Wright added.
Power to the house was lost when the fire burnt through a power line. The line was live on the ground for more than four hours before Avista could get someone to come repair it. Gene helped splice and repair the wire, even after seeing his shop in flames.
Wright believes that this may cause a delay, but the business dream is still on the way.
“I always tell people that growing up, if it was broken, my dad could fix it. I’ve seen my dad do anything, he will be able to pull it off,” Wright said.
