Family dog saves young man from fire

BONNERS FERRY — A  beloved pet saved the life of a 20-year-old man from a Wednesday house fire that destroyed a family home.

The pet perished in the fire.

“The call came in at about 1 a.m. and from my house on the North Hill I could see the flames,” said Bonners Ferry Fire Chief Pat Warkentin.

Nick Vandenberg and his dog were the only occupants home at 7136 Cedar St., when a fire broke out and destroyed the house.

The dog’s barking woke Nick Vandenberg, but because of the flames he could not get out of the bedroom to get his dog, which was in the living room.

Vandenberg had to break a window to jump out of the house.

The dog perished in the fire, according to Warkentin.

Warkentin said Nick Vandenberg ran across the street to call 911, and when the fire department arrived, he was covered in soot, had minor burns and some smoke inhalation.

“The occupant was very fortunate to get out,” said Warkentin. “It was burning for quite a long time before he was woken up according to the advanced stages of the fire.”

Vandenberg’s mother is Tonnie McRoberts a third-grade teacher at Valley View Elementary School. She was in Seattle at the time of the fire.  McRoberts and Wade Jensen had taken McRoberts’ 13-year-old son there for medical reasons.

McRoberts 8-year-old daughter was staying at a friend’s house that night.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined. An investigation will continue when Mark Amodt, deputy fire marshall for North Idaho visits the scene.

The family of five lost everything in the fire. They are in need of clothing, household items, furniture and bedding.

Items are being collected for the family at the Moyie Store and at the  Northside School Bed and Breakfast.

Beck’s furniture donated two beds, but one bed full size or bigger is still needed.

For clothing sizes, call The Herald at 267-5521.