Hi there, my name is Stratton and this fundraiser is to help raise money for my sister Naomi to help with the repair and restoration costs for her home and property after a fire. These include things like:

If you would like the short version:

My sister Naomi owns a charming pink craftsman house in a suburb west of Portland called Aloha and it became a local landmark after she painted it a lovely shade of pink and began decorating with fun seasonal decorations. She loves DIY projects, gardening, and her pets. Monday night, a fire started on the porch and damaged the front of the house. Thanks to a quick response by the local fire department the house was saved. Naomi and her fiance Commie are safe and healthy. Her dogs, cats, and various reptiles are also safe. Unfortunately her two parakeets didn't make it. There is extensive water and smoke damage to her home and property. Naomi is fortunate to have insurance but the timelines they provided are quite long so I wanted to create a fundraiser to help with expenses in the interim.

Link to news story: Click here for link to the news story

Just the link: https://www.kptv.com/2026/10/21/candle-halloween-decorations-likely-sparked-fire-beloved-aloha-home-officials-say/

If you are interested in the longer version:

Naomi owns a lovely craftsman home in the west Portland suburb of Aloha that she purchased in 2019. Built in the 1930s she fell in love with the custom carpentry done by the previous owner, a master carpenter and launched into making "the Bungaylow" (as she calls it) her almost-century home. My sister has never shied away from a DIY project (something she got from our mom!) or let anyone tell her what to do (no comment!) and her garden, pets, and eclectic home decor are her pride and joy. A few years ago when she was picking colors for a fresh coat of paint she went with pink and the Bungaylow became something of a local landmark.

Being endlessly creative, Naomi realized that with just a few clever decorations her cute pink house could be transformed with seasonal decorations! Around Halloween, terrifying fangs and watchful eyes appeared on the front to menace passersby and delight trick-or-treaters. (Pictured below is the monster house and fearsome guard dogs!)

At Christmas, gumdrops, peppermint swirls, and plenty of icing were added to create a charming gingerbread house.

I can't count the number of times I've been in front of the Bungaylow and had someone walking, cycling, or driving turn and smile or pause a moment and say they love the decorations. It is so much fun seeing people stop and appreciate the effort that was put into making something fun for others to enjoy. Naomi was the one who put in that effort to make something whimsical, silly, and special to add more joy to the holiday season.

On Monday night around midnight a fire started on the porch. Because it was outside the house it didn't trigger any of the smoke alarms until the glass in the front door popped and allowed it in. Naomi woke up due to how bright the fire was outside the windows and was able to wake up her fiance Commie and they called 911 and were getting pets out of the house as the fire department arrived. As you can see in this video and the earlier photos, there is damage to much of the front of the house from the fire.

Naomi and Commie are safe and healthy. Her two dogs, two cats, two bearded dragons, and three snakes all survived. Unfortunately her two parakeets did not.

Everything inside the house including unique handmade crafts, antique furniture, vibrant plants and more than a few Lego sets were all exposed to smoke, ash, and water. Many of these things were destroyed. Family heirlooms, vintage art, personal projects, and beautiful plants were all lost.

Naomi is fortunate to have wonderful neighbors who stepped in right away to help however they could. A person she had never met before saw the emergency lights while walking their dog, went home, and came back with gloves and an offer to help. In the chaos Naomi and Commie couldn't grab shoes and were standing outside barefoot so their neighbor brought them a blanket to stand on. Other neighbors welcomed them to stay without hesitation. If you're reading this, thank you for helping.

The process of a home insurance claim takes time and expenses can mount rapidly for all the things that need to be replaced, services that need to be performed, and time off work.

Please donate whatever you feel comfortable with to help Naomi rebuild the place she loved so much.

Thank you for your time.