BOISE -- Most of Melissa Morales' belongings lie charred amid the soggy rubble of what used to be her apartment on Garfield Street in Boise.
But even before the wreckage had cooled, Morales said she felt only "an immense amount of relief" that her family and her neighbors are all OK.
"I think the fear of having your kids almost be hurt just makes everything else fade away into almost not a big deal," Morales said. "That was what I was most afraid of. We barely got out before the carport collapsed."
Morales' husband had taken Tuesday off work, and was headed out into the yard to play with the couple's kids when he mentioned something funny had been going on with the unit's wiring.
"He mentioned to me that an outlet had started sparking in the kitchen before he went outside, and so we had unplugged some of the appliances from the outlet and just kind of looked at it. I was like 'oh, I'll call maintenance later.'"
Minutes later, the unit was ablaze.
Fire scorches apartment units on Garfield Street
The family rushed to get outside. Morales described fumbling with her car keys, pulling the car away from the burning carport only moments before the structure came crashing down.
As firefighters rushed to the scene, Morales banged on neighbors' door to alert them to the spreading flames. The fire ultimately damaged several units and destroyed a vehicle before fire crews could get it under control.
Boise Fire Capt. Jeff Root said firefighters could see "a fairly large column of smoke" before they got to the Garfield Street complex. They arrived to find the carport fully involved, with flames quickly spreading into the units' shared attic space.
"There are at least five units between the two buildings that were damaged," Root said.
One firefighter suffered a minor leg injury, Root said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.
On Tuesday afternoon, Boise Fire said another firefighter was transported for heat-related issues for evaluation.
The residents who were displaced are getting assistance from the Boise Burnout Fund and the Red Cross.
Morales, whose unit was the one most severely damaged, said she is lucky to have family members and friends in the area to turn to.
"Now that we know everyone is alright, having lost whatever we may have lost kind of pales in comparison to what we could have lost," she said. "I think that's what makes it OK."
A GoFundMe has been established to help Morales and her family.