REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — Eight structures and their contents are a total loss after an outdoor cooking fire grew into a massive blaze at the old Thornton Merc south of Rexburg Wednesday night.
The owner of the Thornton Merc, a community gathering place and grill, lost both her home and business in the flames.
The blaze was caused by a cookout gone awry.
“A family was back in this area having a hot dog roast,” said Madison Fire Department Chief Corey Child. “When they started the fire, the fire quickly spread to cotton from the cottonwood trees. And with the bit of wind blowing, it quickly spread to multiple structures.”
The fire devastated three residences, including a double-wide and single-wide trailer behind the mercantile.
It also destroyed the historic Thornton post office.
Local News 8 spoke with another woman who lost everything she owned in the blaze.
Her grandfather, whose last name was Thornton, built the post office.
Through tears, she said that other neighbors lost their homes, business and all their possessions.
According to the Madison Fire Department, the fire began around 6:16 p.m. near 4856 S. Yellowstone Hwy., in the Thornton area south of Rexburg.
RELATED: Thornton fire contained, evacuation lifted after five buildings destroyed
When they arrived on scene, fire crews found multiple buildings on fire. Quickly working to protect the surrounding homes and structures, the firefighters immediately evacuated the nearby Wind Willows RV Park.
In a massive effort, firefighters from the Central Fire District, South Fremont Fire District, and North Fremont Fire District and Idaho Falls Fire Department, along with Deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, provided aid to the Madison firefighters.
As the group battled to contain the fire, evacuated RV park residents sheltered at a nearby LDS Stake Center. The local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Red Cross, and Chaplains of Idaho provided on-site resources and assistance to the displaced families.
Throughout the night, 44 personnel working at the scene were able to contain the fire, according to an official update Thursday morning.
Despite the loss of the eight structures, the Madison Fire Department has confirmed that, fortunately, no one was injured.
However, Deputy Chief Troyce Miskin warns this incident is a sign of a challenging summer ahead.
“We’re sad any time these types of things happen. This is going to be a very dangerous fire season for us. We’ve already had numerous structure fires this spring. We just ask people to exercise extreme caution when using fire in any manner,” said Troyce Miskin, Deputy Chief of Madison Fire Department.
