Community rallies to help victims of apartment fire
Maxx, Kimmie and Bonnie Sargent pose for a photo in their new home after their apartment in Eagles Nest suffered a serious fire last Sunday. Upon hearing the news, a number of people and organizations across Gillette reached out to help the family, including the Shop with a Biker crew, who took the kids on a second run later in the week after hearing that the toys the kids initially picked up the day before were lost in the blaze. Photo courtesy of Jessica Sargent.
GILLETTE — On December 15, Jessica Sargent’s life was turned upside down as the apartment where she and her four kids — Maxx, Kimmie, Bonnie and Grayson — lived caught fire.
Thankfully, the Gillette community was there to catch her.
Planning to travel to Thunder Basin High School with her daughter, who was set to perform as part of the Gillette children’s choir’s Holiday Concert, Sargent was alerted to the fire by a neighbor while at her boyfriend’s home with her family.
She rushed back to the apartment, where she found police and firefighters on the scene, with her roommate, Jordan Ladd, being transported to the emergency room. Ladd was later transported to Denver with severe second- and third-degree burns and currently remains in care there.
Family members of Ladd’s reached out to the News Record, asking people to avoid overwhelming them during this difficult time.
The department stated it believes the fire began in the living room but are not sure what specifically caused it. It appears to be accidental, according to Campbell County Fire Marshal Stuart Burnham, but as of press time for the News Record, the cause of fire had yet to be determined.
Since the fire, Sargent said she has been humbled by the way the community has worked to help.
“I have had my phone blow up non-stop since Sunday, people on Facebook and text messages and calls,” she said. “I’m not from here. I’m actually from Utah. I don’t have any family here, so Jordan is my family. It’s been wonderful. It’s super overwhelming. I mean, the community has basically given me everything, donation wise. Today I have to go to Walmart and basically just get necessities, because everything else has been provided.”
Among the many members of the community to step up were Blaine Reynolds and the Shop with a Biker crew. Sargent’s kids had participated in the Shop with a Biker program just one day earlier.
Reynolds said the team went into action, gathering donations and helping refill the kids’ cart, although this time there was more of a focus on essentials.
“All we really did was help gather donations and went shopping again,” he said. “We offered a storage spot for anything bigger for their next place, but I really can’t say we did much.”
Another effort to help the family was spearheaded by Jessica Badger, the sister of Sargent’s boyfriend, who set up a GoFundMe for the family which, as of press time, has reached $2,145 of their $5,000 goal over just three days.
Sargent and Badger also highlighted a number of smaller efforts across the community, with many businesses, such as Fireside Bar and Lounge, Creative Beverages and Pizza Carrello putting up donation jars for the family, while Ali Burd and her organization, Street Sweep, opened her office to help the family store its belongings until moving into a new home later in the week.
“It’s just been just a miracle, what this town has done,” Badger said.
“I grew up in foster care, so unity is not something I have really experienced in my life,” said Sargent. “I have never felt more loved, protected and cared for like this by anyone. This community has been so amazing.”
While humbled by the response from the community, Sargent stated that its charity has lifted one more worry for her and her family in this trying time. Instead, Sargent asked people to turn their attention to her roommate, who currently remains sedated at the University of Colorado Burn Center in Denver, describing him as one of the most warm and giving people she knows.
“Jordan would give you the shirt off his back,” Sargent said. “There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for a stranger, for anybody. He’s one of the most kind-hearted, selfless people I know.”
Those who wish to help out are asked to check a GoFundMe put up by Badger for the family at https://tinyurl.com/5x23uj37. An account at the Campco Federal Credit Union has also been set up under the name The Sargent Fire Fund.
Additionally, a GoFundMe has been opened for Ladd at tinyurl.com/4py6d6sh, which has, as of press time, raised $2,435. Jordan’s family has also set up to receive donations at Campco under the Jordan Ladd Donation Account, noting that, as Jordan remains in the hospital without visitors, he may not have access to funds raised through other means for a while.
This story was published on December 21, 2024.