Two homes burned last week

Two homes of Seeley Lake residents took significant damage last week, and at least one family is in need of a new place to live.

One fire on Sunday, Sept. 24, destroyed much of the home of Jim and Wendy Leetch. Their daughter Amber Leetch, her boyfriend Justin Cahoon and cousin Sheree woke up their neighbor yelling fire at around sunrise.

The fire departments from Seeley, Condon and Ovando arrived on scene and stopped the blaze from reaching the bedrooms of the house, but much of the living room and kitchen are lost, Amber Leetch said.

Fire Chief Dave Lane said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but all signs are pointing to a chimney fire.

“We were at least happy to make it out safe with our pets,” Amber Leetch said.

The family is now working to replace their home and live in Seeley until then. Amber Leetch said the response from the community has been truly amazing. She said her parents will have a place to stay in Seeley for the winter, and a GoFundMe has been set up.

Amber Leetch said while the response has been great so far, the family is still assessing what needs to be replaced and how much of it will be covered by insurance. She added that her and her boyfriend Justin Cahoon are searching for housing in Seeley Lake.

“Other little things like dishes, pots and pans would be appreciated,” Amber Leetch said.

People can donate at Glen’s Auto, where Wendy Leetch works. Checks can be made out to Faith Chapel, but make sure to note in the memo the donation is for the Leetch family. There is also a GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-seeley-lake-family-rebuild-after-house-fire

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, another house fire sparked in the DogTown neighborhood. Lane said the fire was a kitchen fire, which was knocked down by first responders before spreading across the home.

Stormie Kelley said her family lost much of the interior of the home to smoke damage. Luckily, she said the house was not a complete loss and the family will be fixing it up as soon as possible.

Kelley noted that the fire ruined most of their clothes and other items inside the home, but members of the community have replaced much of what was lost. Her daughter turned one-year-old on Oct. 1, and Kelley said many people reached out and gave presents.

“We have had a tremendous outflow of help,” Kelley said. “Now our focus is to get the house rebuilt.”

The family has started a GoFundMe to get building supplies and money for the replacement.

The link is https://www.gofundme.com/f/calvin-and-stormie

Kelley said they might also set up a local place to donate directly to the family.