'Can't go Back': Family strives to move on after house fire
Andrea and Tia Budmark left their rental house on Mercer Street Monday afternoon to take Andrea's mother to a 2:45 p.m. doctor's appointment. They returned after 3 p.m. to find the place up in flames.
Upon arrival, Andrea Budmark's first thought was about the couple's three dogs, two cats, two bearded dragons and a ball python inside the home. Everything else, she said, is replaceable.
She ran toward the front door, where firefighters were extinguishing the flames, but was escorted to safety, where she learned what happened to their pets.
“I tried getting in the building, but obviously wasn't allowed,” Budmark said Wednesday. “The one police officer told me two dogs got out when an officer kicked in the door. A neighbor had them in his fenced-in yard.”
The other pets perished, but the couple were reunited safely with the two dogs, Kringle and Daisy.
With nothing to their name, the Budmarks and their 4-year-old son stayed at a friend's house until they moved into a hotel. The Red Cross is helping them pay for the hotel room.
Additionally, a friend set up a Facebook fundraising campaign with a $2,000 goal to help the family get back on their feet. So far, the “House fire Andrea and Tia Budmark” fundraiser has raised more than $1,400.
Budmark said the outpouring of support has been overwhelming.
“Tuesday morning I woke up, (and) my neighbors sent me messages on Facebook, friends, family,” she said. “We've gotten so much help and support coming out.”
Butler Fire Department Chief Chris Switala said at the scene of the fire that the first floor of the home took significant damage, and the second floor had heavy smoke damage. He estimated Thursday that the damage to the structure and its contents was about $50,000.
Switala said a heat lamp likely sparked the fire.
Budmark said the landlord wants to rebuild, but she is doubtful her family will move back in.
Budmark said the most difficult part of the fire's aftermath is trying to explain it to the couple's young son, who doesn't fully grasp what the fire took from them.
“The thing that hurts most is he doesn't really understand,” Budmark said. “He thinks there's still a house to go back to. We have to tell him we can't go back.”
