A Lander family say they have been overwhelmed by the community's outpouring of gifts, donations and support since being driven from their home after their house caught fire in the early hours of last Thursday.
Owen and Regina Sweeney and their nine children, ages 11 to 25, woke up early March 12 to a “huge boom” outside of their home. When they checked outside, their deck was on fire and flames were quickly spreading to the roof.
“We do believe that the boom was actually the propane tank that was attached to a grill that was sitting on top of the deck,” Owen Sweeney said. “So, the deck somehow caught fire … when we were woken up there wasn’t any fire in the house yet.”
The family notified the fire department and evacuated their home.
Lander Fire Department Chief Eric Siwik said his department was dispatched to the home in the 100 block of Dupont Street at 12:40 a.m. on Thursday and found the family outside while the home was burning.
“We had fire on one side of the house and then venting through the roof already at that time,” he said. “We had the main fire knocked down in about an hour and then crews remained on the scene for several hours monitoring hot spots and cooling the structure down.”
As winds picked up about 6:30 a.m. the fire rekindled an active fire in the loft area of the home that was hard for fire crews to access with the high winds. Firefighters were dispatched around the neighborhood to deal with flying embers to prevent the fire from spreading.
At the peak of efforts there were 36 firefighters representing both Lander and Fremont County Fire Protection districts on the scene and in the neighborhood, Siwik said.
A neighbor’s grass caught fire, but firefighters were able to put it out before it spread.
Total Loss
Siwik said the house is likely a total loss.
He said the cause of the fire is being investigated by the Wyoming State Fire Marshal’s office.
The Sweeneys say they can’t be more thankful for Siwik, Lander Fire Administrator Chris Johnson and the firefighters' efforts that kept the fire contained.
“We want to really thank God that it was only our home that burned,” Regina Sweeney said. “They were amazing.”
Owen Sweeney said when he last spoke with the fire marshal’s office investigator the cause of the fire was still “inconclusive.”
Since the fire, Owen Sweeney said they are “grateful” and “humbled” by the amount of support that has come their way through donations of clothes, gifts, and money “from friends to people we have never met in our lives.”
A friend of the family has offered their Airbnb as a temporary place for the family to live. They are looking for other temporary housing opportunities in the area. Owen Sweeney said the home was insured and the family is working through what the future might look like.
A GoFundMe campaign for the family has been launched by family friend Erin Washut, who said she and her husband have known the Sweeneys since the family moved to Lander after Owen Sweeney accepted an admissions job with Wyoming Catholic College.
“They’ve lived here for more than a decade and have become deeply embedded in the community, including wholeheartedly embracing Wyoming’s agricultural roots and Owen’s influential presence as the previous CEO of the Chamber of Commerce,” she said.
The GoFundMe fundraiser had raised nearly $60,000 of a $70,000 goal as of Wednesday.
Spreading The Word
Washut said when she learned of the fire through friends and other contacts in the city. She understood that they had gotten out safely but had lost nearly everything.
She reached out to the family and started helping with immediate needs.
The Sweeneys' neighbors across the street were already collecting donations for the family. Washout then began communicating information out to the community about how to donate.
Another friend of the family has set up a “Meal Train” to provide the family with meals.
The City of Lander also stepped in with help by posting donation information on its social media page.
The family said clothing donations for themselves and their children, five girls and two boys, have been appreciated. They still have need for more clothing, they said.
Anything that is not the right size will be re-donated.
Regina Sweeney said she was at her neighbor’s house when a family from Dubois stopped in to donate clothing.
“It’s overwhelming,” she said. “People have been so generous. Every little bit helps.”
The family’s children are all home schooled. A library of about 1,000 books suffered smoke damage from the fire, Regina Sweeney said.
The family is creating an Amazon “wish list” and they hope to share that list of specific needs for the children.
Clothing donations can be dropped off at 140 Dupont St. in Lander.
In addition to the GoFundMe, checks or gift cards can be sent to the family at P.O. Box 205, Lander, Wyoming 82520.
As a friend, Washut said she feels “blessed” by the response from the community for the Sweeney family and called out the Wyoming Catholic College community, Holy Rosary Parish, Owen Sweeney’s alumni network at Thomas Aquinas College in California, and the fire department for their support.
“It’s been such an incredible experience to see that even in the midst of something so terrible, the Sweeneys are not facing it alone,” she said.
The Sweeneys use the word “remarkable” to describe the responses to their need.
“It’s been beautiful,” Regina Sweeney said.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
