Boundary County Fire Destroys Home, Family’s Possessions No One Injured, But Cat Dies, Photos Gone

The tiny clothes, toys and baby photos of Rochelle Jeppe sen’s first child, 20-month-old Casey, are lost forever.

The items, along with nearly everything else owned by Jeppesen and her husband, Alan, went up in a house fire Sunday.

The Boundary County couple had gone to Spokane for the weekend to visit relatives and shop. While they were gone, a fire - possibly caused by a wood stove - destroyed their home and killed their cat.

“The house is completely gone. Basically, there are three walls left standing,” said Dawn Stratton, one of the Jeppesens’ relatives. “I was in shock when I first heard the news because firefighters were looking for bodies. We didn’t know they (the family) were out of town.”

A neighbor heard horses making a ruckus about 5:30 a.m. Sunday and went to check on the animals. She found the house in flames and called the Sheriff’s Department.

While the neighbor was there, she reported hearing someone scream and thought the family was trapped inside the house. Investigators later learned the noise was made by a family cat.

After firefighters told Stratton about the blaze and the fear that someone was inside, Stratton called Rochelle Jeppesen’s sister in Spokane.

“I expected the worst, but when I called I was relieved to find the family there in Spokane,” Stratton said. The family drove back immediately. Stratton’s husband tried to salvage some keepsakes from the burned home, but there wasn’t anything to remove.

The Jeppesens own AJ’s Lanes, a bowling alley in Bonners Ferry. Rochelle Jeppesen and her son are back in Spokane with relatives.

“She didn’t stay too long to look at the house. It wasn’t good for her. She needed to go recoup her emotions,” Stratton said. “It was devastating and around the holidays it’s even worse.”

Fire investigators said the fire appeared to have started in the chimney or around the wood stove. The stove was stoked and still burning when the Jeppesens left town.

The family lost everything except the belongings they took to Spokane.

Those who want to help the family can drop off donations at the Naples General Store or at AJ’s Lanes. Casey Jeppesen wears size 2-T clothing.

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