Fire destroys family’s home on Gentry Lane

A fast-moving fire completely destroyed a rural home on Gentry Lane north of Weiser on Thursday.

 Weiser Area Rural Fire Chief Tim Atwood said the manufactured home was totally engulfed in flames when firemen arrived at about 4:30 p.m. 

 The fire also spread from the home to nearby grass and brush surrounding the property. 

 In total, about four to five acres around the home burned. Fire crews stopped the fire before it could reach other nearby structures, including another home across the road.

 A mutual aid call brought fire equipment and personnel from all over the region to assist. 

 In addition to Weiser rural fire, fire engines and personnel came from Weiser City Fire and Rescue and the Midvale, Payette, Fruitland, New Plymouth and Ontario fire departments, along with the U.S. Forest Service, which has firefighters and equipment stationed in Weiser.

 Fire crews set up a portable 3,000-gallon dump tank to supply water for fighting the fire in the rural location about one mile up Gentry Lane. Three water tenders made trips back and forth with water to keep the tank filled as fire engines pumped water from it.

 One occupant who was at the home when the fire started received some minor smoke inhalation. 

 All of the people in the house were able to get out of the residence, along with their pets. There were no other injuries to firemen or emergency personnel, Atwood said.

 The Washington County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene with moving vehicles out of the way of the fire, Atwood said.

 The fire destroyed everything in the home, making an exact cause of the fire difficult to determine, Atwood said. 

 A relative of the family who lives across the street said the fire may have started on the back porch. 

 She said the couple planned to get married on Saturday and the bride was able to save her wedding dress. The Red Cross is assisting with housing.

 The Weiser Area Rural Fire Department was on the scene for about five hours fighting the house fire, the brush fires and mopping up, Atwood said.