SANDPOINT — A fundraiser is underway for a longtime Bonner County resident who lost everything in a fire that leveled his cabin in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Rick Glaese recalled adding a log to his wood stove at about 1 a.m. and was awakened by the peal of his smoke detector. Unable to get his fire extinguisher working, he was forced to flee the cabin and watch as fire consumed his home and all of his worldly possessions.

Glaese was also burned in the fire.

Glaese is without insurance and lost all his savings in the blaze. He made a living in Bonner County for the past 40 years by cutting and selling firewood, in addition to buying and selling amateur radio equipment and off-grid solar gear.

An avid ham radio operator (call sign N7ANL), Glaese also misses talking with friends.

“Now he desperately needs a steady job and will consider any type of work so that he can get on his feet again,” Steve Long said in a fundraiser announcement.

Besides cash, Glaese also needs tools, a generator, a wood stove and building materials such as metal roofing, plywood, framing lumber, treated posts, concrete, windows and doors, in addition to low-cost, on-site mechanic who can help him rebuild. Glaese plans to stay in town until the spring, when he can began rebuilding the cabin once the snow retreats.

Those who are willing to help may contact Glaese directly at P.O. Box 215, Kootenai, ID. 83840 or by calling him at 208-304-7803. Glaese can also be reached at [email protected].

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.