Earl Polk says the fire that destroyed his home was so intense, light bulbs and propane tanks were exploding as he crawled out with his daughter.
On March 14 in Bethel, a fire burned a family’s house near H-Marker Lake. There were no fatalities and only minor injuries.
“I went to go to the bathroom, and was in there less than a minute, and I heard a weird noise,” said Polk. “Then I turned and looked, and my daughter was coming out [of the room].”“It moved so fast. To me it looked like it was alive,” Polk said about the fire. “I was totally awestruck. The thing looked to me like it was literally alive. It looked like it was almost trying to take us, but push us out.”Polk and his daughter moved quickly.
Polk and his daughter were not dressed for the below-freezing weather outside. Polk said that he’s thankful to a man in a white Ford F-150 truck who let his daughter stay warm inside the man’s heated cab. Polk waited outside for emergency responders to arrive. “Everything. We lost everything. They’re all gone. My clothes are all gone. My phones, everything. Literally everything was lost in the flames. So we’re in a rough spot right now. But, you know, but at the same time, very thankful that we got out,” Polk said.