While Tom was in college, he purchased a small Ford car from Blair Bybee. It got good gas mileage but it needed some work done. When Tom left on his mission, Garth started to repair the car in the garage, at the house. Garth had a diesel heater going, to warm the garage. Soon open flames erupted and the heater was on fire. First we tried to put out the fire by throwing a wool blanket over it but then it exploded. I called the fire department and Garth and I pushed the car out of the garage. Garth was as cool as could be. He said the car would burn or explode if we didn’t get it outside. It seemed like it took hours for the fire engine to come. I phoned the warehouse and all those men came and carried everything out side. The house was completely filled with smoke but the fire didn’t enter the house. There is a solid cinder block wall between the garage and the house. The firemen chopped a hole in the kitchen wall before he decided the fire wasn’t in the house. They soon had the fire out, but the smoke damage was terrible.
Jess had gone flying with Jack and didn’t come back until night. I was to meet them at the café in Rexburg to give them a ride home. Someone ask Jess how much damage the fire had done and Jess ask me if the house was still standing and if anyone was hurt. Garth had burned his ears, hand and arm but nothing that required a doctor. Kent stayed with Stan and Pauline, Randy, Jess and I went to my folks and stayed for three days.
Everything was covered with insurance, they paid to have things cleaned professionally. After it was all over, I knew it was the best thing that could have happened. Our family of six sons managed fine with just one bathroom but now with married sons and grandchildren a second bathroom was a necessity. The insurance even paid to tear down the old garage and back porch. We had Monte Merrill come to bid the job. He said he would rather just do the work and then pay him. He said it would be the cheapest for us. We trusted him and he built a bathroom, porch and double garage. The luxury was that we had new cupboards in the kitchen and a book case in the back bedroom. We probably would never have made the change without the fire.
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