Dickinson couple loses 'everything they had' in late night fire

May 24--news Dickinson, 58602

Dickinson North Dakota 1815 1st Street West 58602

A young Dickinson couple is homeless after a late Friday night fire consumed the trailer home they were renting, as well as their two pets and most of their possessions.

"Absolutely everything they had, they lost right here," Dickinson Fire Chief Bob Sivak said at the scene around 1:15 a.m. Saturday.

The couple, whose names have not been released, lost their Chihuahua dog and a kitten in the fire. They were only able to salvage a handful of items left unaffected.

The trailer was only about 25 feet behind the Paragon bowling alley and sports club off Villard Street. The building was evacuated for a short time until the Dickinson Fire Department contained the blaze.

Sivak said the fire likely started in the front of the trailer, but added that it's difficult to determine the cause.

"There's nothing to investigate. That's how bad it is," he said. "Wires are burned right down to the copper. The walls are down and everything. We could make a guess, but I don't want to do that because I can't prove that one way or another."

Sivak said the couple did not have renter's insurance.

Stark County's emergency manager Bill Fahling was at the scene as well. His office partners with the American Red Cross, which provided the couple with a five-night stay at a hotel, as well as food, clothing and basic hygiene products.

Fahlsing said the Red Cross also helped the family living in a neighboring trailer home, which was affected by smoke and water damage.

" It looks like they recovered a lot," Fahlsing said. "There was some water damage, but it's in way better shape."

Multiple people in Dickinson are also reaching out to help the couple, including Michelle Triplett.

Triplett, who said she's a neighbor and a friend of the couple, started a GoFundMe website in hopes of raising money to help the couple through social media. Friends and neighbors are also planning a Thursday afternoon meeting at The Brew coffee house in downtown Dickinson to talk about other ways to help.

Twenty-six firefighters responded to the fire with four apparatuses, Sivak said, adding he was thankful so many volunteer firefighters responded because of the holiday weekend.

"That number's going to fluctuate through the weekend," he said. "A fire like that, we used every person."

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