Valentines Day fire devastates family

By KATHY NUSSBERGER

Managing Editor

For most people Valentine's Day is a time to remember those you love.

Unfortunately, for one local family, that day is forever marred by the tragic loss of a lifetime of memories.

When Shannon and Damon Severson were notified at their respective jobs that their home was on fire, Damon instantly regretted not asking one very important question, "was anyone at home?" Damon, who left home before the rest of the family, was not sure whether any of he and Shannon's four sons had stayed home from school.

"It was really weird because our son, Nathan, 13, had stayed home sick the day before the fire," Damon said.

"Then I get this call at work telling me the trailer was on fire. During the whole drive from my job in Moyie Springs, all I could think about was 'is anyone in the trailer?," he said.

" I hadn't asked, so I was freaking out because I didn't know, and then everything got very crazy when I pulled up in front of the trailer and saw the flames leaping out of the windows and all the smoke."

However, in the days after the fire, Damon made several trips to the home to recover anything he could. On one of these trips, he found something very special to Shannon.

"I haven't been back to the trailer since the day of the fire because I just can't bring myself to see it," Shannon said through tears.

"My husband has gone a few times and brought things back, but one of the most amazing things he brought to me was a jewelry box. The outside of the box was charcoaled and burnt, but inside lay my heart necklace in perfect condition. I was amazed that it wasn't even slightly charred."

Unfortunately, that necklace was one of very few items recovered from the wreckage.

For the boys, Nick, 16, Nathan, 13, Noah, 7 and Avery, 6, their whole world was turned upside down. They not only lost their home, but everything else they had been saving and collecting over the years.

So, what do they miss the most?

Well for Nathan, it all revolves around his dream to be a police officer some day, which included the walkie talkies he's been saving since he was five. For Avery, it's the Play Station, Noah misses his lifelong green blanket which he knows can't be replaced, so his one request was to have a new BenTen Four Arms action figure and for Nick, his greatest loss was his acoustic guitars and amp.

All the kids echoed the same sentiment, they are not yet sure how they feel about any of what has happened, and although they are happy to have a safe and secure home right now with their grandparents. All are looking forward to having their own home and getting their lives back to some kind of normal.

"Right now we are just taking it day by day," Shannon said. "We lost everything, and when people ask me whether we had renters insurance, I feel so ignorant because we had discussed getting it when we first moved into the trailer, but somewhere along the way we just dropped the ball and forgot about it," she said.

"We were so intensely focused on getting everything for our house, and we just forgot to do it, but it is something that I strongly recommend people get, it's an invaluable asset."

Although living in the trailer was originally just a temporary situation as the family prepared to build their own house, now the family is in a position where they don't have the time to wait and build their new home slowly.

"We were living in the trailer to save money for the materials needed to build our new home and avoid taking out a huge loan," Shannon explained. "Now we have to scramble to get everything together so we can get it done and have a place to live. We were hoping to start this spring and now with the fire, we need to get it done."

Damon added that so far they had purchased about half of the materials needed for framing their new house, but just to get the project off the ground, one of the first things they need to do is get the foundation in.

"One of the really great things is that I work at Riley Creek, which between the crew and company has provided tremendous help in donations," Damon said.

"We still need siding, roofing materials and the foundation. We have a water meter out there on the property, but it is going to cost about $5,000 to get it set up with the electric cost running about $3,000 for installation. Right now, we are leaning toward using some of the money we have received to get the foundation put in because that has to be done first. We have friends who are willing to donate time, tools and generators to run the electricity until we can afford to have it installed."

Damon added that although he was born and raised in Boundary County, he and Shannon are just overwhelmed by the support they have received from the community.

"We are thankful to live in a town like this," Damon said. "If we lived any where else we wouldn't have the support we have here."

"It's kind of strange, I have never been on the receiving end for this type of support, I knew the community stepped up to help people all the time, but I wasn't ever the one who needed that help. It was amazing to have all of that support directed toward our family," he said.

Shannon cried as she described how much the community support has meant to her and her family.

"Before the flames were even extinguished we had people there helping us, we didn't know what to expect, but every day someone is calling to offer support. I love this community, but I never expected everyone to be so helpful like this, it just blows my mind.

She added that they are so thankful, "I always knew Boundary County was a great place to live and raise our kids, but this just validates even more why I live here. We love every single person in this community; their kindness has softened the harshness of our loss tremendously."

"I don't think we would be able to get through this as well spiritually and emotionally, without the support of our community, it's just been a true blessing," she said.

Any one who wants to make a cash donation to help the Severson family may do so either at Mountain West Bank in downtown Bonners Ferry or at any Panhandle State Bank location.

Both accounts are set up under the names of Damon and Shannon Severson. Other donations of clothing or goods can be made at several of the volunteer fire departments including South Boundary, Paradise Valley and North Bench.