Blaze claims Centerfield trailer, family of five loses everything
Robert Stevens
Managing editor
2-16-2017
CENTERFIELD—Friends and community residents have rallied to help a family who lost everything they owned when their trailer in the Main Street trailer court in Centerfield burned to the ground.
The fire, apparently caused by an electrical problem, started Friday, Feb. 10 about 7:30 p.m. in a trailer owned by Cody and Melesha Ivie of Centerfield and their three children.
“I watched as it went up,” Cody Ivie says. “Everything was gone in 20 minutes.”
Ivie says he called 911 after the fire started. The first person on the scene was Sanpete County Sheriff Brian Nielson. The Gunnison Valley Fire Department arrived shortly afterward, but by the time they had enough fire extinguishing equipment to fight the fire, everything was a loss, Ivie says.
No one was hurt in the fire, but Ivie says all of the belongings in the trailer were melted or damaged beyond repair due to smoke. The trailer itself, which Ivie says his family had purchased for $1,500, and was a total loss.
Among items lost were a vintage video game and vinyl record collection. Ivie estimates the value of property lost at more than $8,000.
Friends and community members have responded to help the displaced family.
Ivie’s friends Caleb Ortega and Scott Coleman helped clean up the site. Coleman brought his loader from Marysvale, Piute County, to help with the demolition. Ortega came from Monroe with his semi-trailer to help haul everything to the landfill.
The owner of the trailer court arranged for the family to move into another trailer at the court.
“It’s a terrible feeling,” Ivie says. “I have a wife and three little children, and everything is gone.”
A GoFundMe account has been established at https://www.gofundme.com/fire-loss-fund-for-ivie-family. As of Tuesday when the paper went to press, the campaign had raised $1,255 of the $10,000 goal.
“It’s been really great how much people in the community have stepped up to help,” Ortega said. “Cody is my friend, but a lot of people have pitched in to help them get back on their feet.”
