Victims thankful for rescue, support

Valerie Yates thought she was breathing her last after she fell from her wheelchair amid the chaos as her Rathdrum home filled with fire and smoke.

"That's when John (Ward) came in on his belly under the smoke and pulled me out," said Yates, who is recovering from a broken hip she suffered in November. "He looked like a commando coming in. I had started to feel out of it."

Yates said Ward, a neighbor who was off duty from his job at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue during the fire last week which destroyed the Yates home on Main Street, saved her life.

"He's generally never home on Mondays," she said, referring to the day of the fire.

Yates, her husband Richard and their daughter, Sharon Yates, were all home during the fire and treated for smoke inhalation and burns. Sharon's husband, David Swaving, also lived at the home and was working when the fire started.

The cause of the fire, which started in a bedroom, remains under investigation.

"We had just finished dinner when we heard the smoke alarm go off," Sharon said. "I can't believe how fast the house became engulfed. It was like a scene in 'Backdraft.' We literally got out of that house with only the clothes that we had on. It was a firestorm. I'll never forget it."

Sixty years of personal possessions - including wedding photos and rings, recipes and birth certificates - are gone. The family also lost two dogs and 10 cats in the fire.

"You don't realize what all you have until it's gone," Sharon said on Tuesday at the Holiday Inn in Hayden, where the family has been staying thanks to the American Red Cross and insurance.

But, despite losing their home of 12 years, their animals and their possessions, the family said they have a lot to be thankful for, including Valerie's rescue and the community support.

"We still had the oxygen masks on when people were handing us business cards, blankets and money wanting to help," Sharon said. "We used to live in California, so we know it's not that way everywhere. I get goose bumps thinking about all the support we've gotten."

One man, who Sharon doesn't know but described as an angel, gave her $100.

"He said that he'd also lost his house, so he knew the money helped," Sharon said.

Kevin Randles, owner of the Dashco convenience store, donated $500. Many other organizations and individuals - including the Knights of Artemis motorcycle club, the Northern Lakes firefighters union, Burke's Klein's DKI disaster services, the Lions Club and Rathdrum police - have also assisted.

"It's been overwhelming," Sharon said.

The benefit account in the Yates' name has been created at area Wells Fargo branches. Other donations can be made at Dashco or Penny's Pit restaurant.

The family plans to have a home built where their previous one burned down.

"We've been told we'll have a new home in four months," Richard said.

Other positive circumstances are starting to rise from the shock.

Richard is thankful that his 1940s-era saxophone was among the few items spared during the fire. He has returned to his job as a crossing guard for the city and school district.

Valerie, who was also a crossing guard before her injury, said she hopes to return to her position next year, pending her recovery.

The family enjoyed letters of support from students who know the Yateses from crossing Rathdrum streets near schools.

The Yateses said they plan to attend Tuesday's Northern Lakes Fire meeting, in which Ward will be honored for saving Valerie's life.

"If it wasn't for him, my mother would be dead," Sharon said.