Early morning blaze destroys trailer home

Jesse “Bubba” Jungst smelled an odor with the acrid tang of an electrical fire. He and his dog, Diego, were just waking up March 27.

“I walked outside and noticed bright light,” he said. “The roof over the trailer was on fire.”

Jungst phoned 911, probably around 5:30 a.m. or so, he said. He said he did some work to try to prevent the fire from spreading up an adjacent hill. He nearly stepped on a downed powerline, he said.

And then he went next door to the house of his father, Phil Jungst.

The Jungsts live off U.S. Highway 2 about seven miles east of Libby.

The Libby Volunteer Fire Department responded and soon had more than 20 firefighters on scene.

First Assistant Fire Chief Steve Lauer said that when he arrived the structure was fully engulfed in flames. He said the residence is a total loss.

A cause has not been determined, Lauer said, but indications suggest a water heater might have been involved in the fire’s ignition.

He said one firefighter suffered a sprained ankle while fighting the blaze.

Phil Jungst said the structure that burned was a trailer home with a full basement that was sheltered by a metal roof.

Jesse Jungst figures he lost everything.

“I got what I got on,” he said. “I’m all right. I try not to think about what’s gone. I’m alive and the dog’s OK.”