By Laura French
GOODING, Idaho — An Idaho community is rallying around a paramedic who lost her home in a fire on Wednesday.
Paramedic Tara Blunt, who works in Gooding and Twin Falls, woke up at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday to find that her house was on fire, according to KMVT. First responders responded to the address, not knowing it was their coworker’s address, and found the house engulfed in flames.
Blunt, her husband and their daughter, 11, were able to escape the home unharmed, but the family lost multiple pets in the blaze. In addition, their home and most of their belongings were destroyed in the fire.
One of Blunt’s colleagues, Dotty Rasmussen, who also went through losing her home 11 years ago, decided to help rally community support around the family and set up a donation fund at Wells Fargo with the account name Tara Blunt Donation.
Rasmussen said the community has been extremely supportive of the family following the fire, with neighbors and friends bringing clothes, food and other donations to the EMS station.
According to the Gooding Fire Department, the fire was caused due to a fireplace mishap. The Wendell Fire Department and Bliss Fire District also assisted with the response.