Fire displaces St. John duo

Above, contents spill from a trunk on the back roof of this house that burned in a fire Dec. 3 at St. John. At right, the back side of the house is shown with the fire damage.

Fire crews from St. John, Colfax, Steptoe and Rosalia responded to a house fire on Nob Hill Street in St. John last Thursday, Dec. 3, around 10 a.m. Residents Stuart Elliott and Jessiann Loomis were not at home when this fire started in the back porch area and spread to the upper part of the house. An extension cord leading to a heat lamp on the back porch was believed to be the cause of the fire. Volunteer crews from Colfax, Steptoe and Rosalia assisted St. John volunteers at the fire scene.

Loomis said they were thankful for her neighbors who ran over and let the dogs out.

She and Elliott, who she said is her soul mate, are now staying in her parent's basement in St. John. She added the community has been very supportive.

“Five or six people have come forward with rooms or empty houses,” she said. “I don't know how people get by without such a supportive community. People are great.”

Loomis also said the extent of the damage is now being assessed by the insurance company.

The couple are expecting their first child at the end of January.