City Nears End of Satterfield Fixer-Upper

Repairs are nearing the finish line on a well-known fixer-upper in an upscale Pocatello neighborhood that was destroyed by a fire this past February.

The City of Pocatello said on Monday the project should be completed within the next two weeks, while they continue their efforts to contact the homeowner who abandoned the house and let it sit vacant for years.

The city now said once she sells the home, the city would then be repaid for the roughly $20,000 in repairs.

Project coordinator assistant for Idaho Fire and Flood Jake Larson said this is one of the most unusual projects he has had to work on.

“There’s nobody living here, so we’re not so worried about the structural issues we normally would, so this is not typical for what we usually do,” Larson said.

Since the home was abandoned and the owner is evading the problem after numerous efforts by the city to reach out to her, Larson and his cleanup crew are not able to clean any of the personal belongings inside the home that burned.

“All the things that are inside, we’re not able to touch any of that. So, it’s unusual for us to not have to go in and do any of that stuff. But, as far as the garage goes, that was quite the project to get that cleaned-up,” Larson added.

He said, neighbors have been expressing concern over the burned home sitting as an eyesore in the neighborhood for months, and he’s glad he could help fix that issue.

“It can be disheartening to drive by all the time and see this place looking the way it was, so we’re really happy we could help out and try to get this place back to looking decent again.”

Larson echoed the city’s timeline, saying the home should be repaired by the end of July.