ISLAND PARK — A Rexburg man suffered injury after attempting to put out a fire at his parent's cabin early Christmas morning. Eleven of his family members, including one infant, escaped the fire without injury. Just after they escaped flames engulfed the structure, which was completed last December.
Levi Beck's family awoke around 2:30 a.m. on Christmas day to a fire spreading through the cabin's chimney. Unable to extinguish the flames, the family quickly escaped. In the meantime, Beck climbed a ladder near the fireplace in hopes of putting out the fire. Shortly after, he fell about 20 feet. An ambulance transported him to Madison Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.
“It was a hot one. It did destroy the entire cabin,” said Fremont County Dispatch official Mitch Lens.
Fremont County Sheriff's officers, Island Park Fire District and the South Fremont Fire District responded to the fire.
“We don't have any burns but plenty of singed hair. We were able to get all the Christmas gifts and a few pictures (out), but that's all,” he said.
Levi Beck arrived at the hospital around 6 a.m., where doctors treated him for two fractured bones in his back and a herniated disc.
The hospital released him several hours later.
“I can walk right now, but I won't be able to work for six weeks. I'm very sore. I can't move very much without hurting, (but) it's tolerable with the medicine they gave me,” he said.
A newlywed, Levi Beck married his wife, Ciarra, in September 2015.
“My wife is being very strong and is helping everyone fight through this,” he said.
Later on Christmas Day the family opened presents at David and Pam Beck's Rexburg home. While doing so, the family was most grateful for having survived the fire, Levi Beck said.
“The mood was 'glad to get presents but very upset about losing our cabin.' It meant everything to our family,” he said.
The Beck family owns and operates D.L. Beck Incorporated, where Levi Beck serves as a concrete finisher, framer and laborer.
He said climbing a ladder is just a part of his job, and so it wasn't a challenge for him to do so when the chimney caught on fire.
“I'm on ladders all the time; (I'm) running up and down them all the time,” he said.
The cabin was owned by Beck's parents, David and Pam Beck. Levi, his wife Ciarra, one brother and three sisters and their spouses and one child were at the cabin when the fire broke out. The entire family hails from Rexburg.
“My mom woke up and felt like something was wrong. (She) walked around and looked at the fireplace. About 20 feet up, the wall was glowing red. She started yelling for help,” Levi Beck said.
It's believed that a fire lit earlier got out of control. The family noticed it as it spread up the chimney. At that point everyone started grabbing garden hoses and fire extinguishers.
“My Dad was up on a shelf above the fireplace trying to put the fire out with a garden hose. As I was climbing the ladder with a fire extinguisher, I got to the top of the ladder.
The next I knew, the ladder slid out, and I fell on my back on an end table near the fireplace,” he said.
Beck's family helped him out of the cabin, and an ambulance crew later transported him to Madison Memorial Hospital.
David and Pam Beck arrived at their cabin Thursday night, and by Saturday afternoon the rest of their family joined them.
The Beck family started building their cabin in 2012 and finished it last year. A four-story building, it came with seven bedrooms large enough to sleep 23 people in total.
Prior to building their own cabin, the Beck family spent the Christmas and New Year holidays at rented cabins for several years. They eventually decided to build their own.
“We built the cabin as a getaway for family and friends to just enjoy and relax,” he said. “We put a lot of time and effort into it.”
Levi Beck says the family will never forget the Christmas of 2016. The cabin was insured.
“We're not sure how long it will take to rebuild. We hope not too long,” he said.
Beck credited his mother's intuition for helping spare everyone from further injury.
“All we cared about was getting everyone out and trying to not let the fire take our cabin,” he said.
Levi Beck has health insurance, but a GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with various expenses. To donate, and for more information, visit www.gofundme.com/davidbeckfamily.
