Eighteen minutes is all it took for one young couple’s lives to change. That’s the time the Fisher family from Hardisty recorded from Hailee Fisher’s call to her mom, Ina Fisher, when she first saw the smoke rising from their residence, until Fisher and fiancé Darian Kozak saw their new home fully engulfed with fire.

After seeing the smoke and making the call, Fisher and Kozak rushed into the house to rescue their two house cats, who quite naturally hid from the sound of the smoke alarms.

The couple were able to rescue all their pets, the cats and their two great pyrenees dogs, and then bolted back into the house to get their wallets and vehicle keys, with Hailee going back a second time when they realized one set of keys was missing.

The Hardisty Fire Department, along with firefighters from the Lougheed and Sedgewick Fire Departments, and the Flagstaff Water truck from Killam, arrived on scene shortly afterwards to contain the blaze.

Hailee was treated on scene for smoke inhalation, says her mom, Ina, but thankfully was not burned and did not require hospitalization.

The couple’s new house had arrived on site on Dec. 10, and by mid-February, the couple had moved their belongings from a seacan where they’d been stored to their new home except for a few odds and ends still at Hailee’s parents’ house nearby.

Afterwards, as the family searched the rubble, there were a few minor bright spots, as they found a dresser with some clothes inside, and Hailee’s jewelry box, where she was able to find her grandma’s ring, her engagement ring, and her school class ring. “That ring meant a lot to her, she and her grandma were very close,” says Ina.

The couple also found two special items in the rubble, slightly bent, and blackened but still recognizable were two special belt buckles, one a gift from Hailee to Darian, and the other Hailee’s first belt buckle. Hailee also managed to find eight photos that were damaged.

It’s the small victories that are helping the family get through the fire, which unfortunately, meant the loss of all their household goods, as they were not yet insured, although the building was. Hailee was planning to go in that Monday and change the insurance.

Mom Ina says, “It’s hard to watch them go through it.”

The couple are presently staying with Hailee’s parents, along with their small herd of cattle, three horses, and their pets.

Ina says the outpouring of support from the Hardisty community has been awesome. “They had an offer for a garbage dump of the debris, for the cleanup, and one gentleman, who suffered a severe accident almost a year to the day ago, offered them free use of a home in town, for as long as they needed.”

Family friends Connie Beringer and Melissa McInnes-Wolf have set up an account at the Encompass Credit Union in Hardisty where donations can be accepted for the couple, and also announced that e-transfers can be sent to hdfirefund@gmail.com for anyone who wants to help.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY in the March 24 edition of the CP. Buy a digital copy below and read instantly! 

Never miss an issue – become a subscriber today! Click here!

Studies prove, Community Newspapers are still the most effective medium for getting a message out there in towns and villages like ours across the prairies. Attract LOCAL customers by supporting LOCAL media.

ADVERTISE!

ads@thecommunitypress.com

Leslie Cholowsky
Editor