BOZEMAN — Numerous agencies responded to a structure fire on Friday morning, in King Arthur Park off Huffine Lane.
“Most importantly nobody got hurt, and we got all our animals out,” said John Boast, the owner of the home that caught fire.
It started while Boast and his family were asleep Friday morning.
The next-door neighbor pounded on the door when she noticed the back of their mobile home was on fire.
“I was actually sleeping, I was on my top bunk and all of a sudden I heard people scream. And my grandma said our house was on fire and I could hear flames,” said Boast’s granddaughter Harmony, who was having a sleepover with a friend at her grandparents' house.
Boast said this wasn’t the first fire he’s experienced.
“I was in the Navy, and it had burned down the barracks I was in and lost everything in there,” said Boast.
So as soon as the family and animals were out, Boast did what he could to control the flames.
“I turned the garden hose on and did the best I could with it until the fire department got here.”
The fire caused severe damage to the back of the home and to the garage and made its way into the next-door neighbor's yard.
“This fire was kind of a run-of-the-mill fire just like we normally fight. At Hyalite we used all our tactics and everything like that that we normally use,” said Colin Prato, Captain with the Hyalite Fire Department. “So this was a really effective fire to get out and we’ve done a lot of training to work on these types of fires.”
“We’re real pleased with the Hyalite Fire Department. They just did a hell of a job putting it out,” said Boast.
The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. The Red Cross has stepped in to help the family navigate this difficult time.
