Priest River family seeks help after house fire
LAUREN REICHENBACH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 6 months AGO
Darby Hawkins and her family came home to their house in flames on the Fourth of July.
I’ve spent most of my life in northeastern Washington and graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2021. After that, I spent roughly two years working for a small online newspaper in North Seattle before realizing big city living wasn’t for me. Me and my pup, Kodak, headed east, where we eventually landed in Sandpoint. When I’m not writing, you can find me spending time exercising and taking photos. I ran two half marathons in high school and after spending the past few years recovering from various injuries, I’m hoping to complete my first full marathon by the end of the year. I also love any outdoor activity, none of which would be complete without my dog. Kodak and I love going for walks and hikes, and I can’t wait to try to convince him to get in my kayak and spend the hot months of the year on Lake Pend Oreille. While he’s not a fan of baths, he sure does love chasing the ducks. | July 12, 2023 1:00 AM
A Priest River family is seeking the community's help after they lost their home and everything they own in a house fire on the Fourth of July.
Darby Hawkins, her boyfriend Dustin Simpson, and their three children arrived home to their home engulfed in flames after the family had gone out to fly kites for the holiday.
According to Hawkins, they were only gone for roughly 30 minutes when they decided to run home and get their swimsuits to go swimming. When they got home, they found out their air conditioning unit had caught fire, quickly engulfing the house. It is unclear why the unit caught fire but Hawkins said an investigation into the issue is unlikely.
“We called 911 in time and they were there within five minutes,” she said.
Almost everything they own was destroyed either by the fire or the water used to extinguish it. Hawkins said the house has been deemed a complete loss and will not be able to be occupied again.
"The only thing that survived was our shed with snow tires and tools," Hawkins wrote on her GoFundMe page. "Our home is unlivable and we are reaching out in hopes to come up with funds to help find us a new home, clothes, food and everything else as we will be out of work for a little while trying to recover from this tragedy our family is now dealing with."
Hawkins said the family has already received a multitude of donations and no more clothes are needed at this time but any monetary donations to go toward obtaining new living arrangements are still needed and are greatly appreciated.
To view the GoFundMe, go online to gf.me/v/c/m5bt/xsrhkm-house-fire. The campaign on the crowd funding website has raised $915 of its $10,000 goal.
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