Family who lost home in fire recounts the day
Joey Sanchez and Stephanie Burton were in Pocatello when they got a phone call from South Fremont Fire Dispatch on Dec. 3.
“They said the house was on fire and I asked her if my dogs were OK she said she didn’t know, but they would check,” Burton said.
Sanchez and Burton then raced home. Along the way, they blew a tire, changed it, then blew the spare tire. They had to wait for family to come pick them up to bring them to their now-destroyed mobile home.
“I just started crying, I mean, we lost everything,” Sanchez said. “We just moved in the day before. All of our belongings were inside.”
Sanchez and Burton now only have each other and their two-year old son, Wyatt. They lost seven of eight pets in the fire.
The following day, they did a walk through of the home.
“Found a few things that we could salvage, a few pictures, but not much,” Burton said.
Burton said they were going to get insurance on their home the day the fire started.
The two had plans to renovate the newly purchased home. But now, those plans have changed.
Currently they are staying in a empty trailer their landlord had.
The family has been talking with the Red Cross for help.
They also want to thank family, friends and their community for giving donations.
“We had a lot of people reach out, it’s been pretty amazing (to see) all the people that have offered to help and donated clothes and food,” Burton said.
This devastation came right before the holidays, but with help, the Sanchez-Burton family has some things to make it feel like Christmastime. People from the community have donated a tree and presents for Wyatt.
They will use the donations to replace what they lost and use it for rent at their new place.
With all of the generosity they have seen over the past week, it makes them very appreciative of their community.
Sanchez’s mother set-up a GoFundMe page for the family.
“It’s been tough, but you know, we’ve got a lot of people that are just willing to help and do whatever they can,” Burton said.
