March 7, 2018

Lucky to be alive

Lucky to be alive

By Betsy Ryan
Farmer Staff Writer

On Sunday, February 25, around 11:15 p.m., a space heater in a residential breezeway caught on fire. What started as a few flames at the home on 7th St. NE, soon became larger and larger.
At the time the fire started, homeowner Danielle Quitt Ralph was in the basement of the home laying in bed reading a book. Her husband was dozing off to sleep beside her and her three children, ages 12, 8 and 5 years old were in their rooms on the main floor.
Just a few blocks from Watford City Intermediate School, Danielle said that as she was reading she heard a loud popping sound. Hesitating for a brief moment while processing what the noise might be, Danielle started to see flames in the corner of her window. She immediately started yelling, waking her husband Jacob, and the two ran upstairs.
“I was just yelling, fire, fire, fire, not having any idea of what to do,” remembered Danielle. “I ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall and threw it to Jacob as he headed for the flames and I went to get my kids and the dog.”

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