Fire destroys Panhandle nursery shop

BONNERS FERRY — A shop fire destroyed equipment and memories at Panhandle Nursery, Inc. Nov. 16 but no one, not even the shop cat was injured in a blaze that leveled the building by mid-afternoon.

“Everything happened so fast,” said Barb Lepoidevin, who was working on wreaths for Valley View Elementary in the shop when the fire began.

The fire started in the wall by a wood burning stove, near the ceiling, Lepoidevin said.

On the verge of panic, she first tried to use a hose, but discovered it was frozen.

She tried to call 911 from the shop phone, but the fire had destroyed the phone line, also knocking out the service at the house. Lepoidevin was finally able to call the fire department from a neighbor’s phone.

By the time North Bench Fire arrived on the scene, flames were visible on the B side of the shop, coming out the door and up to the second floor, said North Bench Fire Department Chief Gus Jackson.

“We went into a defensive mode,” Jackson said, “We didn’t have enough manpower to attack the fire so we tried to protect the nearby 250-gallon diesel tank while we waited for mutual aid.”

Two North Bench firefighters initially responded to the scene, with another arriving later. South Boundary responded with their tender as well.

“It took off quick,” Jackson said. “You really have a 20-minute window to fight it, and we had a manpower and water supply issue.”

“The fire department was awesome,” Lepoidevin said, “Very professional, and very caring. Scott Hittle brought his backhoe over afterwards so we could dig up the water lines and shut off the water to the shop. Our neighbors are great. We have a lot of moral support.”

The Lepoidevins have insurance on the building, and will rebuild the shop in time for spring. The biggest losses are the irreplaceable memories inside.

“We had 25 years of life and living in that shop,” Lepoidevin says. Her husband Rod was off hunting when the fire occurred, and showed up in time to see the building fully engulfed.

His biggest regret is the loss of 30 years of horns that were hanging on the walls of the shop, and years of lawn mower race trophies, as well as antique tools the family inherited.

“We’re very thankful for the fire department, and all the support from our neighbors and friends,” Barb says. “Not everywhere is like this.”

Preliminary investigation by the Boundary County Sheriff’s Department indicates that the fire began in the wall of the shop behind the wood stove.

Repeated heating and cooling can lower the ignition temperature of wood. Even with concrete board, sealed walls do not allow airflow to help cool frame members and mounting screws can transfer heat through non-flammable concrete and drywall to wooden construction materials.

Chief Jackson says North Bench fire has responded to more than 110 calls this year.

With only six volunteers, Jackson is worried about volunteer burnout. The department has increased pay per call and training compensation.

With the large amount of manufacturing and other commercial activity on the Three-mile bench, Jackson would like to see more hydrants available and up to 20 volunteers in the organization. Even a dozen more firefighters and the rest support volunteers would help, Jackson says.

With the sudden onset of very cold weather, Jackson says folks can protect themselves from fire by making sure chimneys on wood-burning stoves are cleaned out, and that both ventilation and heat shielding are installed according to code, with proper clearances.

“It’s safer, and will give you a longer life on your wood stove,” he says. Finally, Jackson says he can’t stress enough the importance of smoke detectors. “With as much as we talk about them,” he says, “I’m still amazed at how many buildings don’t have them.”

To find out more about volunteering for North Bench Fire, log on to www.northbenchfire.com or call 267-8674.