Linda Belich, a special education teacher in Carlton, was doing paperwork at school and talking on the phone with her husband, Terry, Friday afternoon when he noticed their house was filling with smoke.
"He said there was a fire and that he had to hang up and call 911," she said.
Indeed, firefighters from Blackhoof Township, Mahtowa, Wrenshall, Carlton and Esko were called to fight the blaze at 1730 County Road 4 in rural Carlton after it was reported at about 4 p.m.
"Smoke was coming out of the basement when we arrived," said Royce Lattu, Blackhoof fire chief. "We needed so many departments in part for their tankers to shuttle water," he said.
Firefighters were on the scene until about 11 p.m. and were able to save much of the structure, which meant the family was able to save some of their nostalgic items, including photos. Blackhoof firefighters were called back on Saturday morning for a short time due to a portion of the attic that had started smoldering.
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"It took us a while to find the exact point of the fire on Saturday, but we used a thermal imaging camera and were able to pinpoint the area where a spark had ignited under some insulation," Lattu said.
The Beliches' insurance company declared the house a total loss, however, due to the smoke and water damage.
"It's great that the family was out -- that's the most important thing," Belich said.
The Beliches' son Christopher was also home at the time of the fire and he was responsible for saving all but one of their pets.
"He went back into the house and managed to get two of our cats and our dog out," she said. "One cat got away from him, though."
One of Beliches' daughters, Kristen, was living with them as well as a foreign exchange student from Slovakia. Neither were home at the time of the fire.
"Our exchange student had stayed with us years ago so this isn't his only experience at our house, which is probably good," she said.
The family stayed with friends on Friday night and has been staying at an area hotel with help from the Red Cross while they look for rental housing. They plan to rebuild.
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"The land has been in the Belich family since the early 1950s," she said.
Their current home was built by Terry 19 years ago.
Several fundraising efforts are in the works to help the family, including a benefit account established at Wells Fargo Bank in Carlton. Donations to the Belich Family Benefit Fund are welcome at the bank, 110 3rd St. in Carlton, or at either of the schools.
A chili feed is set for Saturday, Feb. 14, at Carlton High School in the small gym from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for children and they can be purchased in advance at the high school or at the door on the day of the event. On Sunday, Feb. 15, a pancake breakfast will be held at the Cozy Cafe in Carlton from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Belich family.
"Everyone has been so wonderful," Linda said. "[People] met me at the door of the school on Monday with well wishes and my husband's employer, The College of St. Scholastica, has been fantastic. We really appreciate it."
For more information about the fundraising efforts, call (218) 384-4226.
