Ronan home damaged by fire, smoke
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RONAN — A home on Canal Road in Ronan went up in smoke on Wednesday, March 15. The white plume of smoke in the tree line looked much like a controlled burn from town.
“We were puzzled by that, too,” Fire Chief Mark Clary said. “But it depends on what materials are burning.”
The home was engulfed in smoke when Ronan volunteer firefighters arrived shortly after 12:45 p.m. and quickly knocked down flames coming up from the basement. Because the quantity of smoke created a need for SCBA tanks to be replaced frequently, Polson City Fire and Rural Fire departments were called for mutual aid, according to Clary.
Two brothers were in the basement at the time of the fire, according to Clary, and one was sleeping. The awake brother saw smoke and flames, woke his brother up, and they both got out of the house, “without their shoes,” Clary said.
Clary said they believe the fire was accidentally caused by an electrical issue, and that there was enough structural damage upstairs and downstairs that the home is likely a total loss.
