Support flows in for Larimore, North Dakota, couple following house fire
Nov. 7—LARIMORE, N.D. — Following a house fire that decimated everything in its path, community support is lifting up a couple from Larimore.
Heather Bridgeman — who received a call from a neighbor around 5:20 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, that her house was in flames — said it's been a struggle.
"We're kind of still trying to process the devastation," she said.
Bridgeman and her husband, Mark Williamson, are owners of Willy's, a bar and restaurant in Larimore. When Bridgeman left the house at about 2:10 p.m., she said everything was fine. Her brother-in-law, who is also her neighbor, left to go hunting at 3:30 and hadn't seen any trouble. The neighbor who called Bridgeman with the news of the fire also had called 911 beforehand. By the time she got home, the fire department was already putting plywood on windows that had blown out.
Everything had been destroyed.
"This is a tight-knit community, so even a couple of the people in the fire department were hugging us and lending moral support, too," Bridgeman said.
Bridgeman believes electric recliners in a sectional might have sparked the fire.
The first two nights after the fire, Bridgeman and Williamson stayed at her brother-in-law's house. Since then, they've been staying with her daughter while they look for somewhere more permanent. The bar was still open for business the days after, hosting events that had been scheduled months in advance — events like the Legion's turkey bingo on Friday and an auction on Saturday.
"I cried through three whole work shifts, but we've had such amazing customers. ... I have people come back to the kitchen and hug me," Bridgeman said.
She said the community response has been humbling. People have come to Willy's to drop off clothing, shoes, toothpaste, socks, shampoo, brushes and other household items to replace things lost in the fire. People also have put aside furniture, like tables, for when Bridgeman and Williamson are able to take them.
An employee of Willy's, Kathleen Pfaff, started a
gofundme for the couple
with a goal of raising $5,000.
"You don't know who's in your corner until something like this happens," Bridgeman said. "We've had so many people reach out, people that we don't know from not just our community, but other surrounding communities. I'm speechless, honestly, but we are so grateful."
The two are working with their insurance company to see if they can cover the costs of gutting the house completely. They're also going through the process of listing each individual item that was in their home.
"Everything's got to be out," Bridgeman said. "Our central air, our electric, plumbing, it'll pretty much just be studs and rafters left when they gut it."
