Five fire departments were called out to a house fire near Vaughn on Thursday, March 20, 2025. Despite their quick response, it was a total loss, leaving the family homeless. The fire broke out around 8:45 a.m. just off I-15 east of Vaughn.
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Vaughn, Sun River, Gore Hill, Power, Sun Prairie and Great Falls fire departments all responded to the scene, as well as Disaster & Emergency Services.
Dereck Belz, Sun River Fire battalion chief, explained “It was an accidental start. Cascade County Sheriff's fire investigator determined that it was a battery inside of a camper that overloaded and melted through, which started the fire.”
The fire was fully contained after just a few hours; however, Mike Flint and his family were in the process of building their home, which is now a total loss.
“We bought the land at the end of 2020, and we moved here in June of 2021. I’m a builder; I’ll build it again, build it better,” said Mike Flint, the homeowner.
No one was home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
One of the family’s dogs was found alive and well; however, three of their dogs were stuck inside and perished.
“We had a pretty quick response on top of it; contained it before it got into the stubble on the fields, which would have led to a wildfire. You know, we got it out as quickly as possible and helped the homeowners as best we could,” said Belz.
The American Red Cross has been notified and will be helping the family with a place to stay. They are also looking into providing clothes and food for the family during this time.
We will update you if we learn of any fundraising or donation drives.
(1st REPORT) Emergency crews responded to a structure fire several miles northwest of Great Falls on Thursday, March 20.
It happened just east of Vaughn and was reported at about 8:50 in the morning.
Several people reported hearing an explosion of some sort at the time.
No people were injured, but three dogs died in the fire.
There is no word at this point on the suspected cause of the fire, nor the estimated amount of damage.
We will update you if we get more information.
