Friends rally around fire victims

Spanish Fork families ponder their next steps

Looking out the nearest window, she saw an orange glow then ran to another window for a better look.

"It was coming out of (my neighbor's) carport," she said. "I figured it was the trailer. I didn't think it was my house on fire."

Terry quickly called neighbor Stefani Holdaway on one phone and 911 on another.

Your house is on fire, Terry told Holdaway. Get out.

And the family of six did. Minus their winter coats and shoes, which were melting by the carport door.

"I can't even describe the smell," Holdaway said. "It never gets out of your head."

Once the families were safely out with their children — the Holdaways and Terry families each have four children under 10 — they watched in horror as firefighters from Spanish Fork, Payson and Mapleton battled flames devouring the sides of their Spanish Fork homes.

The fire charred the Holdaways' Honda Odyssey, which was nearest the house. Beside it are the remains of a trailer, unrecognizable except for its warped hitch and propane tanks, which had already exploded.

The family's Chevy Suburban was farther away in the driveway, but the tires and tail lights melted into puddles of plastic and the only things left inside were the metal frames and springs of the seats.

Across and above the carport, Terry peered into the remains of her attic, where she had just packed away all of her Christmas decorations.

And even though her bedroom ceiling is on her bed, the Terrys' main concern is water and smoke damage, not fire damage.

Through the Holdaways' charred and shattered front room window, the only picture left visible is a framed picture of Jesus Christ. Somehow it survived on the wall when everything else went up in flames, Holdaway said. A reminder that someone is watching out for them, she said.

Actually, a lot of people are watching out for them. Within an hour after the fire started, the families were warm in neighbors' homes with food, clothes, games and coloring books for the kids and offers of more food and clothes pouring in.

The neighborhood and the LDS ward even cooked breakfast for the families later that morning.

"It's amazing," Holdaway said. "I have more clothes, so many clothes. It's been amazing support."

The families have been staying with relatives nearby and are looking into rental options until they can figure out what to do with their charred homes.

"My son didn't know why it happened," Terry said. "I told him it will make us better people. (The kids) feel kind of lost. Home is your center. It's kind of weird not to come home."

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