Curley Creek home destroyed by fire

BONNERS FERRY — A home located at 500 Curley Creek Road was destroyed almost entirely by fire on Feb. 1.

The Sheriff’s Department, Fire and Ambulance were all dispatched to the scene, and owner Jimmy Robinson, who was burned during the blaze, was taken to the hospital immediately.

Curley Creek Fire Chief Brad Stalcup says that by the time he arrived on the scene, the house was beyond saving: “By the time Northern Lights got the power off, it was beyond fully involved...almost all the way to the ground by that point.”

Deputy Fire Marshal Jason Blubaum came up from the Idaho Department of Insurance office in Cour d’Alene the following morning to begin the arson investigation, and he says the offical cause of the fire has been identified. “The fire was an accidental start, and appeared to be electrical in nature,” Blubaum says. “Unfortunately, it was a total loss. But we were able to find an outlet that appeared to have malfunctioned.”

According to a press release that was issued the day of the fire, Mr. Robinson reported that he woke up from a nap with smoke in the dwelling. Robinson then noticed that the ceiling was on fire before it collapsed on top of him.

He was able to free himself from the burning debris and drive over to his neighbor’s house, where the call to dispatch was made.

Robinson was then taken to the hospital before being transported to the Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle, where he was treated for severe burns on his hands and head.