Tom&Liz Home Destroyed- Lithium Battery Explosion

Tom & Liz's Historic Cabin Home Destroyed by Lithium Battery Explosion

Hello! My name is Olivia. My sister Christina and I are fundraising for our parents, Tom & Liz.

A few days ago, on 11/9, I received a FaceTime call from my Dad… he said to me, “The house caught fire, the house is burning down…” and showed me the devastating sight of their cabin burning to the ground.

My dad had been in the house just 5 minutes before it happened… then his contractor shouted, “Fire!”.

My dad ran up to the house to get a fire extinguisher and within seconds the windows blew out, there was an explosion, and the entire house went up in flames.

He was just in there MINUTES prior.

Unfortunately our beloved family cat, Sheba, was in the house… My parent’s wedding rings were in the house along with the piano we grew up playing… and a lifetime of our most cherished memories.

Fire officials determined that it started from lithium batteries for rechargeable power tools (common power tools, like drills and saws). This is reportedly an increasingly common cause of house fires- just wanted to take a moment to spread awareness on that.

This was not just a house. It was a home and gathering place to generations of our family. My mom tells stories of going to visit her grandparents there when she was a child.

Originally, a hunters lodge, there was so much history nestled in every nook and cranny of that old cabin. Built in the 1920s, it was frequented by hunters, trappers and fur-traders who came by paddleboat up the Pend O'Reille river.

My parents have spent the past year and everything they’ve got working on restoration of the cabin. They were doing it for us- the family- as a legacy… a place to continue gathering for extended family and to exist as a sanctuary. Not only was this house for family, it was a sanctuary for people who needed a place to stay, including international missionaries, people coming out of prison and homeless individuals that needed a place to be- that was how the house was used since our great-grandparents time.

My dad ran his business from the house. He is an entrepreneurial engineer who designs and builds various technologies that have had uses from the bottom of the sea to space and from robotics to medical devices. All of his equipment and documents were destroyed.

Along with everything else, my parents will need to replace his equipment and tools to continue conducting business.

Ultimately we are so fortunate that this explosion and fire happened during the daytime and while our parents were not inside the house.

God’s mercy is great.

We are creating this GoFundMe on the day of our parent’s 45th wedding anniversary.

We are passionate to raise funds to help our parents who have sacrificed everything for us. They have been stewards for God and helping hands to so many individuals and families.

We are beyond grateful for your generous hearts.