BOISE, Idaho — A family in Boise is starting recovery efforts after nearly their entire home they were renting burned down on the night of the Fourth of July. The Boise Fire Department said improper disposal of fireworks started the structure fire.
There were six reports of grass fires and three structure fires in Boise on Thursday, July 4. Janni Reyes, who lost her home, said her and her five kids have a long recovery ahead.
“We had everything we needed and wanted, and now it just went from everything to nothing within a matter of hours,” Reyes said.
Reyes said the fire originally started in the garage, where there weren’t fire alarms. Her son, Ethan, heard popping and looked out the window to see the fire.
“I looked out my window and I saw a reflection in my neighbor's window. And I just saw like a big flame," Ethan said. "So, I ran outside and I just see a fire on the side of my house."
Janni said if it wasn’t for her son coming to wake up her and her kids, she doesn’t know what would have happened.
Hours prior to the fire, the Reyes family was setting off fireworks, alongside several others in the City of Trees community.
“There were fireworks going on the entire night,” Janni said. “So, it could have even been somebody else's ember that landed on some dry grass.”
Janni said they disposed of fireworks the way they knew how – by putting them in water. She said they could touch the fireworks because of how cool they were by the time they were thrown away.
Boise Fire recommends putting fireworks in a metal can with a lid, submerging them in water and making sure they are completely cool before disposing of them.
“They [her kids] were able to get the fireworks watered down and put them in a bucket and dispose of them how we thought was the proper way to dispose,” Janni said.
Even still, she said they won’t be risking it again.
“We're not doing fireworks at home anymore,” Janni said.
The family is staying in a hotel until they find a new place to live. A GoFundMe page has been created to donate to the family.
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