Fire destroys camper trailer

PRIEST RIVER — Edward Topp's living situation went from bad to worse Monday night when the camper trailer he was living in burned to the ground, along with his dog, his clothes and his family photographs. Spirit Lake Fire Protection District extinguished the fire, which is under investigation, said Fire Marshal Wayne Nowacki.

Topp's daughter, Mary Cowles, said the cause of the fire was a space heater.

"He was out of propane," Cowles said. "Energy assistance will only go so far."

Cowles said the fire started when her father's dog knocked the space heater over, igniting a sleeping bag. Topp was able to get out, but could not save his dog. He burned his fingers trying to save the dachshund, Cowles said.

"He called her and was going to go in and get her, but he lost her," she said.

The 1964 camper trailer sat on five acres Topp has owned for 22 years outside Spirit Lake in Bonner County, and it is the second camper Topp has been forced to move from since December.

The disabled 59-year-old moved into the camper trailer before Christmas after another trailer he was living in was condemned because the ceiling and roof were falling into it.

"He got through the whole winter in that camper, barely surviving with his bad legs," Cowles said. Topp's disability is the result of a logging accident several years ago.

Cowles said her father applied and was approved for a loan last year through the USDA's rural development assistance program.

"He's going to get a well, pay off the property and put a new home on it," Cowles said. "But, he hasn't gotten it yet. It's taking a long time to come through."

Neighbors have offered some help, and Cowles said the American Red Cross is trying to find a temporary place for her father to stay.

The trailer that burned stood next to a mechanic shop building on Topp's property, where he kept many of his belongings. The shop also housed her father's motorized wheelchair. Cowles said he cannot get around well without it.

"If it wasn't for the Spirit Lake Fire Department coming out as quickly as they did, we would have lost the shop, too," Cowles said.