Fundraising effort for family who lost home in fire

Clifford Johnson and Tami Copenhaver's Alberton family home was lost to a fire on Saturday, Dec. 4.

The Frenchtown Rural Fire District was called to the scene of a reported house fire on Adams Street in Alberton shortly before midnight.

Upon arrival with multiple engines, they found the house fully engulfed in flames, but all occupants escaped safely and were checked out by medical personnel on scene as a precaution.

Sadly, some of their fur babies did not survive in the fast-moving fire. Two ferrets were found in the basement alive but in critical condition and they were taken to the Pet Emergency Center in Missoula.

“It was a very fast-moving fire”, said Mel Holtz, Public Information Officer for Frenchtown. “Thank God they had smoke detectors in place that led to a safe evacuation for the family, but it’s still, and always, a tragedy when pets are lost.”

The home is a total loss, displacing a family of six. The Red Cross is working with the family to meet immediate needs as the family lost everything in the fire.

The Missoula Rural Fire District, Missoula Emergency Services, and the Mineral County Sheriff's Office all responded to the scene for mutual aid.

Randi Ammons, a neighbor, started a GoFundMe for Johnson and Copenhaver.

"I am hoping we can come together as communities and help their family get through this difficult time," Ammons said.

Two verified GoFundMe pages were started to help the Johnson-Copenhaver family get back on their feet:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/house-fire-support-for-johnsoncopenhaver-family

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-johnson-copenhavers-family

The cause of the fire is under investigation.