GUERNSEY—Three local residents are lucky to be alive following an early Thursday morning fire that resulted in a total loss of their rented home.

Fire and rescue crews were called to the scene of the intense blaze at 5:48 a.m. and according to Guernsey Fire Department Chief Jeff Thomas, the home at 350 N. Kansas St. was fully engulfed upon their arrival.  Neighbor Tiffany Gardner, who noticed the flames, made the 911 call.  Firefighters credited Gardner’s quick action as the reason the outcome was not tragic.  Chief Thomas said based on the time of day, as well as the range and degree of damage to the home, he felt there could easily have been fatalities.           

Bridgette Filter, her 10-year-old daughter Zaylee, and Mike Otero were able to escape the home without injury.  The house is owned by John Niles, who lives on the property in a camper behind the home.  He was also uninjured and there was no damage to the camper.

There was also damage to the Gardner property which sits on the lot just north of the Filter home.  A fence and some of the home’s siding on the south side were affected by the intense heat. 

Responding to the call were law enforcement officers from Guernsey and the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, fire crews from Guernsey, Camp Guernsey, and Hartville as well as EMS from Banner Health and Guernsey’s City Maintenance staff.

After an initial investigation at the scene, Chief Thomas contacted the Wyoming State Fire Marshal’s office due to circumstances that he felt warranted further scrutiny at the state level.  The investigation continues under the direction of Fire Marshal Nick Johnson who came to the scene later Thursday.  The cause of the fire at this time is undetermined, but believed to have originated in a room that was originally a patio but later enclosed and remodeled to serve as an extra interior room by a previous owner of the house.

Details are not completely clear at this time but sources close to the investigation said that after Otero escaped the burning residence, there was a confrontation between Otero and Niles in the back yard. Otero then fled the scene and hid from law enforcement but was apprehended after a brief search in the area.  He was arrested and taken to the Platte County Detention Center where he was jailed on misdemeanors related to his attempts to flee the scene and hide from officials.

Niles does have insurance on the structure but Filter and her daughter lost all of their possessions and do not have renter’s insurance.  Thomas contacted Red Cross and they have given the family some financial assistance and the Salvation Army provided them with a hotel room for several nights.  The Presbyterian Church opened the thrift shop to help replace clothing and the Guernsey Fire Department also provided some “comfort” items they traditionally give to children in a situation such as this including a blanket made by a local 4-H club for the fire department.  In a Friday post on Facebook, Niles asked that people from the community’s contact him if they can offer help for Bridgette and her daughter.