Greg Christianson, whose Comstock Road home was destroyed by fire early Saturday, said this week he felt lucky that most of the family was gone at the time of the blaze,
“We couldn’t have gotten out. No way. I’d never have been able to get them out,” he said.
Christianson’s mother, Anna Glombowski, escaped the burning home and met up with grandson Damen Christianson, 16, who had been sleeping in an adjacent fifth-wheel trailer and had been awakened by her screaming.
The trailer and the home, a converted mobile home that Greg Christianson had recently expanded, were a total loss. The fire started in a woodstove chimney and expanded to an adjacent wall, Christianson said.
“Right now we’re looking for an affordable rental for two kids and three adults,” he said.
Christianson’s wife, Deina Davis, and their two children, Gauge Christianson, 5, and Syerus Davis, 13, were on a trip out of town when the fire occurred. Damen Christianson, who had been in town for a few months, has since returned to live with his mother in Juneau.
According to Christianson, he was out with friends early Saturday and stopped at the house around 4:30 a.m. He checked in with Glombowski and fed the woodstove, then left to take the friends home.
Glombowski, sleeping at the back of the home about 30 feet from the woodstove, said the smell of smoke woke her about 15 minutes later. She said she screamed to check if anyone else was in the house, then ran past the blaze, burning her foot and singing her hair. “I saw fire going up the wall and I got the hell out.”
After reuniting outside with her grandson, she tried knocking on some doors, then decided instead to drive to the police station to report the blaze. She was able to contact Christianson, who was at a friend’s house.
Glombowski said that besides some pressurized tanks, thousands of rounds of .22 caliber bullets “blew up” in the blaze. “The pressure tank from the well rocked the whole neighborhood. There were so many things blowing up.”
Christianson said most of the family’s belongings went up in the blaze, and that he felt worst for his mother, who lost heirloom jewelry, photos and cameras. A “fireproof safe,” where the family was storing some old books, was burnt through.
Glombowski, who has lived in Haines since 1992 and was getting around on a crutch this week, said she was grateful for friends, including Shane and Sandy Martin, for support. “They’ve just poured the love in. I’m always on the other end of the stick. I’ve never been in this position… but I’m the only one who got hurt, and I’m okay.”
Greg Christianson said he and his wife and family returned to Haines a year ago, tired of paying rent in Juneau for the past 16 years. They had been staying in the fifth-wheel, while their children typically stayed with Glombowski in the main structure.
The Comstock house was not insured, but the property is paid off, he said. The fire destroyed many of Christianson’s tools, including a welder. The family’s pet cat, Adolf, escaped the blaze.
“Fortunately, we’re not broke. We’ve got our dividend checks and a little bit of money… I want to do it right the next time and build a real house with oil heat. I think I’m done with woodstoves,” Christianson said.