House fire damages Boise rental home

Chelsea Laragan contemplated buying renters insurance after 10 homes near her parents' Columbia Village subdivision burned Aug. 25 in the Oregon Trail Fire.

She didn't get it, and she rued that decision Wednesday.

The garage, attic and part of her home's living space burned in a fire on the 800 block of West Gettysburg Street in southeast Boise, near Broadway and Linden.

Now Laragan and her two small children will stay with her parents at Columbia Village while they rebuild their lives.

Joe Laragan, Chelsea's father, said the recent fires have left him shaken.

"I'm just glad everybody is OK," he said.

Chelsea Laragan's 4-year-old son was playing with a lighter in the garage and caused the fire, officials said.

"It was accidental," said Boise Fire Department Deputy Chief Dave Hanneman.

Laragan was checking her e-mail when she smelled burning wires and heard a "crackling."

She grabbed her children, 4-year-old Tyson and 2-year-old Maria, and escaped the home as fire erupted from her garage about 11:35 a.m. Wednesday.

"When I came out, the house was fully aflame," said Laragan, a medical assistant who has lived in the home just under one year. "It happened so fast."

Laragan said she found a neighbor to call 911. Boise fire crews responded to find heavy smoke and flames burning the garage.

Fire damage was limited to the garage, attic and part of the living area, but the home has substantial smoke damage, Hanneman said.

Boise firefighters used five engines and two ladder trucks in the two-alarm fire. They extinguished the fire in five to 10 minutes, Hanneman said.

Firefighters managed to rescue some of Laragan's possessions, including four goldfish, Hanneman said.

Outside the mid-century ranch home in a quiet neighborhood near Ivywild Park, trees were singed and windows broken. Smoke-stained eaves showed where fire burned the attic.

Neighbors gathered in front of the home to watch the firefighters mop up.

Officials say homeowners should be wary in September and October when using heaters, fireplaces and candles to ward off chilly nights.

Kathleen Kreller: 377-6418