SILESIA — A Carbon County family is beginning the difficult process of rebuilding after a fast-moving fire destroyed their home near Silesia last week.
Watch the story below:
Jolene and Loren Music lost the home where they lived with their three grandchildren, ages 16, 14, and 1, when flames swept through the area Thursday. The family was not home at the time, but the fire destroyed nearly everything they owned.
"They really only had the clothes on their bodies,” said neighbor Amy Brehm. “They lost their dog and everything in their house.”
Brehm watched from her home as a grass fire grew closer to her and her neighbor's property.
The fire started after a controlled burn from earlier in the week reignited, according to Joliet Rural Fire District 1 Chief Melvin Hoferer. Strong winds, with gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour, quickly pushed the flames across Clark River Road and into the adjacent property.
Related: Fire fueled by whipping winds destroys Silesia home
Brehm said the fire moved so quickly that neighbors had little time to react.
"In my mind, it was like instantaneously," said Brehm. “I ran over to the window, and all I could see was like smoke and fire across the road.”
As the flames approached her home, Brehm and her family evacuated.
"The flames were 10 to 20 feet tall, and the wind was blowing it so fast that it was just completely terrifying. I was shaking," she said. “The flames were just that tall, and the wind was pushing it that fast that I was sure that everything was going to be gone in this whole area."
Her home was spared, but the Music family’s house was completely destroyed.
Days later, fresh snow now covers the burned landscape, but the loss remains. For the Music family, the devastation is especially difficult because it is not the first time they have faced such tragedy.
“About 15 years ago, they had another house that burned down as well, and so it's really catastrophic to them," said Brehm. "They've been through a lot in their lifetime, and I know they'll get through this, but it's hard right now."
Brehm said the families have known each other for more than a decade and have grown close over the years. The loss has also struck the community deeply because of the family’s history of service. Both Jolene and Loren Music have volunteered with local fire and emergency medical services.
"They treat my kids and my family as their own, and they're just really amazing people," said Brehm. "It's really tough when the firefighter is the one who gives all of that and is the one who loses everything.”
Now, the community is stepping in to help the family recover.
Local businesses and bars in Carbon and Yellowstone counties have set up donation jars, and gift cards are being collected at the Joliet grocery store and Jane Dough's pizza shop. A bank account has also been established at the Bank of Joliet to help the family cover immediate needs.
Brehm said Loren Music’s coworkers at BNSF Railway have also started a GoFundMe fundraiser.
“Really, what they need is just funds to recoup some of the daily things they need," she said. "The support goes a long ways. Small town, big community really rings true."
The fire is the third structure fire reported within a five-mile radius this year, Brehm said. Another fire in the area at the end of January claimed the life of a Silesia woman.
Despite the difficult start to the year, Brehm said the community response has been overwhelming.
"I'm very grateful to live in a place where everyone is reaching out and asking what they need and giving and just being there for them," said Brehm. "It's unfortunate and devastating, but those are the things that make it a little bit brighter."
A bank account has been established at the Bank of Joliet, and checks can be made out to Loren and Jolene Music. To visit the Music family's GoFundMe, click here.
