Fire rips through historic home leaving family of eight homeless

Published 12:00 am Monday, January 24, 2005

By CHRIS COLLINS

Of the Baker City Herald

The historic Geiser House that has stood at 2405 Second St. since 1883 was destroyed by fire Friday afternoon, leaving the owner, the renters and community members grieving the loss.

Susan S. Fleming of Alamo, Calif., owns the Queen Anne-style home, which was built for her great-great-grandfather, John Geiser, who was the owner of the Bonanza Mine and the Geiser Grand Hotel.

Shawn and Sally McGrath and their six children had been living in the six-bedroom, four-bath home for about the past two years.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation today, said Jim Price, Baker City Fire Department battalion chief. The loss of the house and contents is estimated at about $150,000, he said.

Although the McGraths had talked about getting renters insurance about two months ago, they had not purchased a policy, Shawn McGrath said. Shawn, 47, is disabled. The family lives on Social Security disability payments of $1,100 per month.

Firefighters saved some of the family’s belongings, but most of what they owned was lost in the fire.

The McGraths are staying in two rooms at the Oregon Trail Motel with help from the Red Cross and the Calvary Baptist Church. Other donations are being accepted at the Rachael Center, where Sally McGrath volunteers.

Their most immediate need is for a house for their family, the couple said today.

andquot;We need to get a roof over these kids’ head,andquot; Shawn McGrath said.

Their children are Alex Sturge, 12; Kevin Sturge, 11; Jessica McQuown, 9; Briannah McQuown, 8; Bethany McQuown, 6; Melody McGrath, 4; and Jacob McGrath, 2.

Clothing has been donated by MayDay’s Dragonfly resale store and Donna’s New to You. The couple also received vouchers from the Red Cross to buy food and clothing. Those donations have taken care of the family’s clothing needs. Financial assistance can be made through Bank of America.

Sally McGrath, 28, said she first noticed smoke coming from the basement door as she was preparing lunch for the children about noon Friday. About five seconds later the smoke alarms sounded.

She alerted her husband, who had been reading in the bedroom, and he attacked the fire with extinguishers while she called 911 and got the children to safety. The family’s 6-month-old puppy, Shiloh, escaped to safety and firefighters saved the family’s three adult rabbits, including one named Charcoal. Five baby rabbits died in the fire.

Shawn McGrath tried to put the fire out with a third extinguisher before the firefighters arrived.

andquot;I thought I got it under control,andquot; he said.

But the andquot;balloon constructionandquot; of the house, common in homes built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, does not include fire stops between the two stories and allowed the fire to spread rapidly, Price said.

Lack of manpower also hampered the effort during the early attack on the fire, he said. Although 22 firefighters arrived as the effort continued throughout the day, just seven were available during the first 20 minutes of the suppression effort, Price said.

andquot;At the end of the day the numbers looked good,andquot; he said. andquot;At the beginning of the day when you can really make a difference, the numbers looked pretty scarce.andquot;

The Baker City department called for mutual aid from neighboring fire districts, with 11 firefighters responding, Price said. That included two from Keating and Bowen Valley, four from Baker Rural and three from Haines. Baker City Police helped secure the scene and Jerry Boyd of the Baker Dispatch Center brought the mobile radio vehicle to the site to help with communications, Price said.

The attic was involved in the fire by the time firefighters arrived, and the decision was made to take a defensive stance and protect adjacent homes, he said.

andquot;It was the best we thought we would get once it got into the attic,andquot; Price said.

The biggest threat was from water spreading from the frozen ground to the basement of neighboring homes, he said. As the sun went down and the wind picked up, ice coated everything that had been sprayed with water.

No one was hurt fighting the fire.

Shawn and Sally McGrath were checked for smoke inhalation, but they declined further treatment, Price said.

Firefighters were able to salvage some electronic equipment and other family items, including Sally McGrath’s wedding rings, which she had left in the bathroom. They also retrieved frozen food from the freezer in the basement.

andquot;I can’t even start to thank the people who’ve shown up to support us while this is happening,andquot; Shawn McGrath said.

He was especially appreciative of the firefighters.

andquot;They worked their rear ends off,andquot; he said. andquot;There was no way to stop it. It just wrenches you apart.andquot;