Community raises funds for Foys Lake family after house fire

Dec. 7—It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Tony Butlett's children were out sledding in the yard. Butlett was downstairs in his home office when he heard a pounding on the door. He opened it to find his neighbors' daughters, barefoot and without jackets.

They said their dad was dealing with a fire at their home, so Butlett grabbed a fire extinguisher from his garage and ran over.

According to Butlett, it was only 23 minutes later that the house, and everything in it, was gone.

Everyone in the Bailey family and their dog escaped and is safe, and are staying locally with family.

Ethan Bailey is a teacher at Evergreen Elementary School, and his wife Cadie Bailey, is a speech therapist at Kalispell Middle School.

According to a statement published as part of an online fundraiser by Butlett, the family have lived in the Foys Lake area for over a decade with their three children. Butlett remembers building his house around the same time as the Baileys, and even lending a hand with construction on occasion.

The house burned on Dec. 3, and the fundraiser has already received donations from nearly 300 people, raising over $43,000 for the family.

In an interview, Ethan Bailey said that the family is working on submitting claims to their insurance company. For now, the family is focusing on replacing critical documents such as drivers' licenses and Social Security cards.

Bailey is grateful for the support that the community has shown, but the family is still working out how to move forward after the tragedy. He says many people have offered necessities, including vehicles, but that the family doesn't have a location to keep every donation that is being offered.

For now, Bailey says the priority is getting his children what they need to go to school and reclaim a sense of normalcy in their lives.

"It's so reassuring that so many people want to help," Bailey said in a recent interview.

Butlett describes his neighbors as "a great family."

"They babysit my kids and I trust them with everything I have," he continued.

Butlett said he understands the outpouring of support the Baileys have received from their community. "He's touched so many lives with his teaching, it's nice to see it come back in some way," he said.

Ethan Bailey is just glad his family is OK. "We have a sense of gratitude that we are all safe," he said. "The material things can be replaced."

Those looking to donate can do so at https://gofund.me/6c9f855e

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com