'I have nothing left'
Dan Garnett stands outside his Coeur d'Alene home on Young Avenue that was damaged in a fire Wednesday night.
BILL BULEY/Press
Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal Craig Etherton on Thursday moves material outside of the upstairs room of the Young Avenue home that was damaged in a fire Wednesday night.
During an investigation on Thursday, Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal Bobby Gonder tosses a board from the upstairs of a home damaged in a fire Wednesday night.
COEUR d'ALENE — Dan Garnett woke up to smoke and flames in his home Wednesday night.
“She was on fire,” he said.
The Coeur d’Alene man didn’t flee his two-story house at 1015 Young Ave., though. He tried to save it.
Garnett grabbed plastic containers and buckets, filled them from the small bathroom faucet and threw water on the flames.
It was a losing battle.
“I couldn’t get enough water,” he said.
He didn't give up.
"Gotta get the hose," he thought.
Garnett ran downstairs, out the back door and retrieved a hose. He turned on the faucet and raced back through the kitchen and living room. He made it about halfway up the narrow stairway before he ran out of hose.
He did what he could.
“I tried spraying it up,” he said.
A few minutes later, police arrived. While Garnett was reluctant, officers escorted him out for his safety and firefighters soon rolled up.
Craig Etherton, Coeur d'Alene Fire Department deputy fire marshal, said the two-alarm blaze was reported by neighbors about 10:15 p.m.
Several explosions were heard, which Etherton said were caused by fireworks stored upstairs that were ignited by the blaze.
Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue firefighters brought the fire under control. They remained on the scene in cold and dark conditions about four hours.
Garnett said the fire started in a bedroom near the front of the home on the second floor, which suffered extensive damage.
The upper exterior of the home was also burned, while the main floor suffered significant water damage.
Etherton and fellow Deputy Fire Marshal Bobby Gonder returned to the home Thursday.
During their investigation, they sorted through charred remains of upstairs furniture, tossing them out the windows as they tried to clear the scene for a better look.
Etherton said they were unable to determine the cause of the fire.
He said homes need working smoke detectors. Residents should have an escape plan in case of a fire and once they leave a home, they should not return, but wait for emergency responders.
"He was trying to extinguish the fire on his own," Etherton said.
The city posted a sign on a board covering the front entryway that said, "Do Not Enter. Unsafe To Occupy."
Garnett, who was not hurt, retrieved his tools and salvaged what he could from the downstairs Thursday.
"I have nothing left,” he said. "I have no clothes, I have nothing."
Garnett said he has lived in the house, or the one next to it, both owned by family, for 36 years.
He didn’t know what he was going to do.
“I never left this block," he said.
