'I woke up with my sheets on fire'
Local painter Robert Reed is grateful to the first responders who helped him escape the fire that destroyed his home Sunday night, and to St. Vincent de Paul for the speed with which it helped him find resources. Reed has painted holiday windows and taught art for five decades. He is seen here by one of his painted windows on Sherman Avenue during the 2016 holiday season.
BETHANY BLITZ/Press File
"This is what I own now," local painter Robert Reed said Monday when he stopped by The Press to share his appreciation for the first responders who saved him from the fire that destroyed his home Sunday night, and for St. Vincent de Paul for helping with immediate resources.
COEUR d’ALENE — A local painter whose work has adorned holiday windows in North Idaho for 50 years lost everything he owned when his home was destroyed in a fire late Sunday night.
“I woke up and my sheets were on fire, the end of my bed melting,” Robert Reed said during an interview in the Press office. “I cut myself out of the wall. I was carried to a friend’s house.”
He took a comb out of his coat pocket.
“I woke up with everything gone,” he said, holding up the comb. “This is what I own now.”
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Dan Ryan confirmed that a structure fire decimated where Reed had been living near U.S. 95 and Aqua Drilling.
"It was a makeshift-type shelter," Ryan said. "He did have a heater left on that had started the fire. It destroyed almost everything he had."
A good Samaritan driving on the highway at 11:20 p.m. saw the flames and called 911. Minutes later, Fire and Rescue arrived and dragged Reed to safety.
"It had to have been only 10 minutes from the start of the fire and I’ve got firemen picking me up and taking me to a police car that was out there and then to a friend’s house," Reed said. "I'm just blown away at the response that I got, that I’m still breathing and didn’t have to wait out in the cold.”
"I just want to let everyone know I’m alive, because I probably won’t be in contact with people for a while,” he said, adding that his phone was among the items that were destroyed.
Reed came to The Press not to bemoan his lost possessions or ask for financial assistance, but to express his gratitude for the quick action of first responders and the St. Vincent de Paul of North Idaho H.E.L.P. Center.
"They immediately were gracious and got ahold of Red Cross for me," he said.
Rich Mervin, case manager for St. Vincent's men's shelter and warming center, worked with Reed after the fire.
For Mervin and his team, this is why the H.E.L.P. Center exists.
"We help anybody who needs help," Mervin said. "We called Red Cross; they were able to get him into a hotel. He got his resources within a day, so that's pretty exciting."
Mervin said it was a team effort to assist Reed in his time of need.
"He was grateful just being able to sit down and tell his story," Mervin said. "In turn, then we're grateful. What a cool thing to be able to do."
