Woodstove sparks house fire
Neil Benson and Steve Lauer of the Libby Volunteer Fire Department battle a fire smoldering beneath the ridge cap of a home near Farm To Market Road on Feb. 21. (Duncan Adams/The Western News)
Homeowner Ora Miller, left, recounts how he discovered the fire to Dan Knapp of the Libby Volunteer Fire Department. (Duncan Adams/The Western News)
Ora Miller heard an unfamiliar noise early in the morning Feb. 21 and left his bed to investigate. He discovered flames circling the stovepipe for the family’s woodstove and woke his wife, Orpha.
Initially, neighbors of the Millers climbed atop the roof with fire extinguishers and garden hoses to try to knock down the fire.
Soon thereafter, volunteer firefighters gathered at the Millers’ log house off the Farm To Market Road and fought the fire smoldering beneath the ridge cap of the home’s metal roof.
The Millers are founders of Meadowlark Log Homes and key members of the Eagle Valley Amish Community. Their home is in the vicinity of the Farm To Market Store.
Firefighters from the Libby Volunteer Fire Department attacked the fire from both inside and outside the house. Around 8:30 a.m. a ladder truck arrived, allowing firefighters to remove the metal along the roof’s ridge and pour water directly on the smoldering fire.
Steve Lauer, first assistant fire chief and fire marshal for the Libby fire department, said two stations responded to the fire. He said Monday that he did not yet have information about estimated damage to the house.
Miller was philosophical about the morning’s events. He glanced around at the many firefighters and onlookers on the scene and quipped that there were enough people on hand to raze the house and raise a new one.