WEST BOISE, Idaho — On Friday, a historic Boise home caught fire on Ustick Avenue. The house known by the Facebook page Saving the Vicky was just weeks away from being restored. Owner Shawn Whitaker hopes he can still salvage the lost property.
- The home was originally made in 1910.
- Whitaker lived in the basement and lost 2 dogs in the fire.
- A GoFundMehas been created to help fund new architectural building plans.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Over 100 years of history gone in moments.
"I'm just trying to wrap my head around this," said Shawn Whitaker, Boise resident.
Shawn Whitaker is the owner of the historic Boise home and has spent countless hours restoring the property tracking it on his Facebook page Saving the Vicky in hopes of turning it into a wedding venue.
"I've clocked over 2 years of my time in the restoration," said Whitaker.
"Think of this as a wedding cake, you have the wedding party in the second story and then you have all the guests at the bottom," said Whitaker.
On Friday, all that work was lost in a matter of hours.
"My phone started blowing up a little bit after 10 o'clock your house is on fire," said Whitaker.
Boise Fire recorded these images from the scene and is still investigating the cause. Neighbors in the area are saddened by the loss.
"I mean this house has been here for many years and it has a lot of history," said one neighbor.
"It was devastating really. I saw this man put all this work into this house," said another.
Whitaker also lost 2 of his poodles in the fire.
"The first thing I thought was my dogs praying that they will stay outside," said Whitaker.
"I mean yes this is two years of my life. It can technically be rebuilt but I can't bring him back," said Whitaker.
The home was expected to be open in April and even though the fire will cause delay, Whitaker is still optimistic.
"I've got some grit, got some determination, and if there's a will, I'll definitely find the way," said Whitaker.
