Family grateful after escaping fire

A Gardnerville family hurt by the economic recession is counting their blessings after they escaped unharmed from a fire that ravaged the garage and roof of their Ruhenstroth home Tuesday night.

"I'm pretty shocked still," occupant Kimbre Plante said on Wednesday morning. "All this stuff is gone. But I'm going through that 'I'm alive' thing."

Plante and her husband Dell woke up around midnight early Wednesday after smelling smoke and hearing strange noises.

"I thought my wife was rummaging through something in the garage," Dell said. "I yelled for her to be quiet. I said it again louder, then heard her reply, which was coming from the wrong end of the house. Just a few seconds after that, the smoke alarm went off."

The couple called the fire department. Kimbre grabbed their 8-year-old daughter Zayza and headed for the back door as Dell searched for the family's two dogs and cat.

"You couldn't see anything," Kimbre said. "I took my daughter to the neighbor's house."

Zayza, a third-grader at Pinenut Christian School, suffers from asthma.

"They (emergency personnel) checked her and she seemed OK, just very frightened and nervous," Kimbre said. "She was also concerned that her homework was burned."

Dell said firefighters located the family's cat inside the house, and handed it to him through a window. They also rescued the family's dog, Steel, who was locked in the master bathroom. Their other dog, Lady, was later found in a cul-de-sac.

"I just want to thank the firefighters," he said, "the men and women who saved the house and saved the pets."

Kimbre said neighbors were also a big help, moving chickens from the family's coop in the backyard.

"We have wonderful neighbors," she said.

Unfortunately, the Plante family has already had a tumultuous year, hit hard by the economic recession.

"Dell lost his construction job because of the economy," Kimbre said. "We lost our house to foreclosure, and rented this house the first of January."

The family is now staying with Dell's mother, who lives in the Pine Nuts.

"We do have a roof over our heads and we do have food," Kimbre said.

Although the family pets survived the fire, the family cars, a 2006 Dodge Caravan and a 1991 Nissan Sentra, were not so lucky. Neither were about half a dozen all-terrain-vehicles and dirt bikes, a collection of tools, a freezer, a refrigerator, and the family's Christmas decorations.

East Fork Fire & Paramedics Districts Investigator Terry Taylor estimated total damage of $150,000. He said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but believes it originated in the garage.

"It's a tearjerker," he said. "I told the family that their luck had changed. They're alive. The ceiling could have come down and that would have been the end of it."

Career firefighters from East Fork stations 14 and 7 responded to the call, along with volunteer firefighters from the Gardnerville Ranchos, Ruhenstroth and Fish Springs. Volunteers from Sheridan Acres stood by as other departments battled the blaze, and the Red Cross took the family in after the flames were doused.

"Everyone did an excellent job," said Kimbre. "Everyone worked well together and stayed real calm. I want to thank them so much for their professionalism."

"It's a little devastating," said Dell. "We're just trying to get a grip on where to begin. Mostly we just thank God we're OK."

Although they have shelter, the Plante family is still in need of basic items: hay for their goats, dog food, cat food, and clothes and bedding for Zayza, as many of her belongings were ruined by the smoke. The family is also looking for a storage unit.

Donations can be dropped off at Shirley Valley Grooming, 1408, Suite 4, Industrial Way, Gardnerville. The shop is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Monetary donations can be made to the Plante Donation Fund, US Bank account # 153752825882.