Neighbors help quell morning Pinehurst fire
Photos by CHANSE WATSON/ The affected detached garage that was on fire Friday morning in Pinehurst. Chief Aamodt explained that the structure was completely filled with various items at the time of the incident.
The area believed to be the point of origin on the southern wall of the garage. Burn patterns show that the fire started outside, then worked its way inside.
PINEHURST – They say it takes a village to raise children. It appears that the same can be said when it comes to keeping a fire in check.
Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 Chief Mark Aamodt reports that firefighters responded to a structure fire at 507 Wyoming in Pinehurst around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 30.
Upon arrival, crews found neighbors of the affected structure using garden hoses and whatever else they could to fight the flames.
“What a crazy night we had!” Pinehurst resident Grace Stamsos said on her Facebook page. “Woke up at 2:30 a.m. to the dogs barking and going crazy, looked outside and the neighbors garage was completely on fire!”
Stamsos added that her boyfriend Cody LoPorto, was able to contain the blaze to the original building with the use of a fire extinguisher.
“Thank God Cody was quick thinking and ran to grab the extinguisher from our ambulance and put out the grass surrounding so it couldn’t spread.”
While the fire did get close to several structures, fire crews were able to control the spread when they arrived and even got the fire out quick enough to partially save the storage shed/garage that had been completely engulfed.
“The neighbors did a good job,” Chief Aamodt said. “The ones that reported it saw the grass actually burning so they got out here...and did a good job of keeping it from getting to the house or the trailer on the other side.”
First firefighters on scene were from the nearby Pinehurst station, then were quickly backed-up by crews from Kellogg.
The home associated with the detached garage structure has been vacant for months and was not affected by the flames.
While an official cause of ignition is still under investigation as of Aug. 30, Aamodt believes that the point of ignition was outside of the structure in the grass or up against the south-facing exterior.
Items are believed to have been stacked up against the outer wall of the wooden building (such as a mattress) that aided the fire’s spread to the interior.
Fire crews remained on scene for roughly two hours, then double checked on it again later in the morning to ensure it was dead out.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.