Immigrant family loses dream home to fire

It was the house of their dreams.

For the last eight months, Vladimir and Yelena Fomin spent every spare moment planning and building their new home on the West Plains.

On Saturday, a week before they were scheduled to move in, they witnessed their house burn to the ground.

“It’s completely gone,” said Timofey Fomin, 14, eldest of the Fomins’ seven children.

The new construction at 15117 W. Janes Lane was destroyed in a fire Saturday morning. About 25 firefighters from Fire Districts 5 and 10 responded to the blaze, which was reported by neighbors shortly after 8 a.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said.

All that’s left are two garage walls.

“We’re in shock,” said Timofey, speaking on behalf of his parents, who don’t speak much English.

He and his parents had just left their house on the South Hill to pick up some tools at the new house. When they arrived about 9 a.m., they found the structure engulfed in flames.

Timofey Fomin said neighbors told his family the fire began with an explosion in the basement.

The couple spent all their savings and took out a loan from the bank to build a six-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot home that would be big enough for their entire family, according to Timofey Fomin.

The day before the devastating fire, the family brought their church pastor to the house for a blessing. They had planned on moving in before Christmas.

“They couldn’t imagine who would do this,” said Timofey, translating for his father. “God give to me, and he take away,” Vladimir Fomin also said in broken English.

Although the family has insurance, the loss remains devastating, said the boy, who moved to the United States from Ukraine when he was 6 years old. “We all helped build the house. Now we have to start all over.”