Photo by Naomi Hatch The Damms family lost everything in a house fire Jan. 24 in Snowflake. Wade Damms (from left), and sons Hunter, Ayden and Darien were at the scene two days later to try to salvage some of the family of 10’s belongings.
By Naomi Hatch A family of 10 is looking for a home after their Snowflake rental home burned a week and a half ago. At 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24, Taylor-Snowflake Fire & Medical received a report of a house fire on East Fifth South in Snowflake. “The fire started on the outside and extended into the home and nearby travel trailer,” said Assistant Fire Chief Willie Nelson. “It burned into the sub floor, the exterior wall and into the attic. “Building construction and hidden spaces made it difficult to put the fire out. We had to use a chain saw to cut holes in the ceiling and roof to gain access to many areas of the attic. TSFM officials noted that the fire appears to be an accidental one, starting in a chicken coop next to the home. The ignition source was possibly a heat lamp used to heat the coop. The home was a total loss, but the Wade and Kami Damms family was out of town, so none of them was injured. They lost their dogs, and nine of their 13 chickens. They had a rabbit hutch that was burned badly on one end, but none of the rabbits died, though one was singed. The family also lost two cats, but the boys found a cat under the home two days later. The Damms had been renting the home from Bill Elkins. Their children range in age from 5 to 20, and all were living at home. The Damms family lost everything once before. Four years ago a cat knocked over a candle in a home they owned and it also burned. They had not yet recovered from that loss, and now have lost everything again. Wade and three of his sons were at the home Jan. 26 to see if there was anything they could salvage. A major loss involved specialty items, including knives that they had used at Renaissance festivals. For the past eight years they have volunteered at the Pinetop Medieval Mayhem Renaissance Festival. The Damms’ neighbor, Alisha Gonzalez, started a Go Fund Me account to help the family. You can donate by going online to www.gofundme.com/ngw9v6h8. If you have items you would like to donate, you can drop them off at the neighbor’s home at 163 E. Fifth St. South in Snowflake.
