Fire forces Boone family to live in camper

Dec. 17--Richard and Frances Pratt decorated their home for Christmas on Dec. 2. They were excited for the holiday season to begin.

The couple and family members hung stockings with each of their children's and grandchildren's names on them above an artificial fireplace near the kitchen of the small modular home nestled between farmlands on 53rd Lane in the tiny town of Boone.

A Christmas tree sprinkling with shiny ornaments was the centerpiece. Santa Claus trinkets and other decorations were scattered about.

The holidays seemed like they were going to be a joyous occasion for the Pratts, but just two days later, everything turned upside down.

A furious and quick-spreading fire destroyed the home, gutting mostly everything inside. Some of the Christmas symbols survived but were damaged.

"We lost almost everything," Richard Pratt said, holding back tears as he sifted through the blackened remains of the home recently. "It's still hard for me to believe this has happened. It hasn't sunk into my head yet."

From the outside, the home looks almost unscathed, but behind the front door the severity of the tragedy is visible. Frances Pratt couldn't bring herself to go into the home nor speak about it when this reporter visited with the family.

'Heavy raindrops'

The couple, along with their 20-year-old granddaughter, Sierra Files, was in the home when the fire started a little after 9 p.m. on Dec. 4. The family had just finished dinner.

"There were dishes in the sink," said Pratt. "My granddaughter started hollering and that's when all hell broke loose," Pratt said. "The smoke was so thick."

"My granddaughter said it sounded like heavy raindrops on the roof of her bedroom. She asked if I was hearing a crackling," Pratt said, pointing to what was left of the ceiling.

"I went into her bedroom and you could hear it loud. I told everyone to get out. That ain't the words I used, but I told them there was a fire."

The two women gathered the family pets and went outside.

"My son and I then began trying to put it out. I used a fire extinguisher at first," said Pratt.

Pratt said he and his son then started filling up cups and buckets of water from the kitchen sink, but it didn't work.

"We were trying to save it any way we could. We stayed in there until the fire department came in," he recalled.

Pueblo Rural Fire responded, along with mutual aid from the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.

Fire officials said the blaze originated near a wood-burning stove, and Pueblo Rural Fire Assistant Chief Mike Furney said it was caused by an issue with the chimney.

Furney said six firefighters from his agency and five from Pueblo County helped put out the fire.

Pratt has insurance only for his belongings inside the home, he said. The family is waiting on the company to give them a report.

In the meantime, they are living in a camper trailer in front of the destroyed home.

"We've already received a $750 bill from the people that came out and did asbestos tests," Pratt said.

The smell of smoke and charred ash still fills the air. The sun creeps in the home because the living room roof is gone.

The bedrooms are littered with debris and soot and the ceilings are burnt and ruined. The floors are covered in ash and are wet from the firefighters quelling the blaze.

Lists marked "Movies to Watch" and others with printed phone numbers survived, while appliances and electronics did not. Televisions were scorched and couches almost melted into the floors.

"It's destroyed; we couldn't save it," said Pratt. "We've lost pretty much everything. My wife's collectibles are there. We've spent years collecting things like this."

Even small items that were damaged brought pain and loss.

"This is not good. It's not good at all. We just put everything up for Christmas and to see things that are ..." Pratt began to say before pausing and holding back tears.

"This Santa Claus is about 30 years old," he said while a red-and-white crocheted ornament with a Santa face.

"We have things in here that you can't get no more. They are irreplaceable. That thing there ... No, you can't get that no more."

What's next?

Pratt is not sure what the family will do next.

"We have no idea," he said. "We are just going to have to wait for the insurance. It's a sad deal. Being Christmastime only makes it hurt more," Pratt said.

Pratt has not calculated the amount of damage the fire caused.

His wife stayed in the camper trailer, unwilling to talk about the tragedy.

"She's trying not to see it," explained Pratt. "She sends me back and forth to look for things. I do it.

"She is so depressed."

A GoFundMe page has been established. The address is gofundme.com/pratt-house-fire. As of last Friday, $735 had been donated.

"Any donations from food to clothes will certainly help," Files wrote on the page. "Both my grandparents are hard-working, honest people with many medical problems and could really use any help or prayers. Again thank you for your donations. Anything is greatly appreciated."

Pratt said his granddaughter lost everything in the fire.

Out of all those stocking that are hung in our home, Sierra's is the only one that fell to the ground in the fire. I don't know if that is a bad sign or a good sign," Pratt said.

"Hopefully, it is all good. Hopefully, we can get through this."

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