Crosby family shares story of apartment fire: 'Another minute or so' and no one would have escaped, mom said

A family of five with three children-5-month-old Ebon, 4-year-old Dixon and 12-year-old Makenzie-are thankful to be alive after fire destroyed an apartment building they lived in last month in Crosby.

It could have been a much more tragic story for the family as the fire started in a master bedroom where the 5-month-old was napping in his playpen. Ebon's mother Teresa Wells said the mesh and plastic on the playpen was beginning to melt when she first saw the flames.

The fire began filling their apartment unit just before 3 p.m. Nov. 16 on the 200 block of First Street Northwest, next to Family Dollar in Crosby. The fire ended up destroying the fourplex and displacing a dozen people, days before Thanksgiving.

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Firefighters from Crosby, Deerwood and Brainerd fought the fire for hours, with about 50 firefighters on scene.

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Firefighters from Crosby, Deerwood and Brainerd fought the fire for hours, with about 50 firefighters on scene. The investigation into the cause of the fire was turned over to the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Office. The cause has been listed as undetermined.

The family's story

Even before the fire started, the day was not a routine one for the family. Wells said her significant other, Skyler Robinson, had the day off from work which was "unexpected." Makenzie was in school and the two younger boys took naps at the same exact time that afternoon, which typically doesn't happen.

Wells and Robinson took the moment to drink coffee and watch TV. They were relaxing in the sunken living room in their apartment unit. Wells said it is the biggest unit in the apartment building. There is a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms on the main floor and there is a partial flight of stairs leading to a sunken living and dining area. The boys were each sleeping in separate bedrooms on the main floor.

Wells needed more coffee, so she walked up the stairs to go to the kitchen.

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" I heard crackling and I smelled smoke and I rushed to my bedroom and opened the door and I saw flames."  - Teresa Wells

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"I heard crackling and I smelled smoke and I rushed to my bedroom and opened the door and I saw flames," Wells said. "It was very bright and a lot of flames in the upper right corner of the bedroom. I started to approach the playpen, it started to melt. I grabbed my son and I yelled for Sky and he grabbed Dixon and we immediately got out of the building. ... A neighbor upstairs yelled out wondering what was going on and we said there was a fire."

Wells said thankfully a good Samaritan in a minivan was parked nearby and offered the family shelter in the van, as it was cold with temperatures in the mid-20s and a windchill of 18 degrees.

"I was really, really shook up," Wells said. "At this time the fire had really grew. My daughter was just getting home from school and was walking from the bus stop and she noticed the commotion and the chaos. I found her and brought her over to us.

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" We lost everything, I didn't have shoes on."  - Teresa Wells

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"We witnessed everything burning. We were checked out by paramedics, but we were more concerned about the situation. We lost everything, I didn't have shoes on. Skyler was able to grab a few things from the entryway.

"I cradled Ebon as tight as I could. He was pretty smokey and had some soot on him as the mesh and plastic from the playpen started to melt. ... I got a couple of marks but they will heal. He is OK. He had a tiny burn blister on his hand. Another minute or so, I don't think any of us would have made it out."

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" Another minute or so, I don't think any of us would have made it out."  - Teresa Wells

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Wells said the thought of them not making it out of the burning apartment continues to haunt her. She said her daughter would have been all alone.

"We've really learned to appreciate the smaller things in life," Wells said, "... and to be more appreciative for what we have and we have to turn it over into a teaching tool for the kids, especially for my 12-year-old.

"This was a really a traumatic situation, it's different with every age. My son is greatly affected and so is my daughter, we all are. It was traumatic. It's hard to think about it as we almost didn't make it out."

The family lost everything, including several sentimental family heirlooms that cannot be replaced, such as Wells' grandfather's pocket watch and her father's mission book from Vietnam. Robinson lost memorabilia from when he was deployed in Afghanistan.

The American Red Cross assisted all the families who lost their rental units. The Red Cross gave families funds to use for food, shelter and necessities.

Wells said the family is grateful for the American Red Cross, the community, Salem West and Homeless and Wounded Warriors-MN in Crosslake for their help after the fire.

"There are a lot of good-hearted people," Wells said, adding several businesses also helped. The Bridge Tavern north of Crosby will host a benefit Jan. 12 for the Wells and Robinson family.

More on cause of fire

Mark Germain, Brainerd area deputy with the Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office, stated in his investigation report even though the cause of the fire was ruled undetermined, he was unable to eliminate the possibility the fire was caused by an electrical issue.

"The remaining burn patterns suggest the fire originated in the ceiling space between the southeast (master) bedroom ceiling and the underside of the second floor above this room," Germain stated in his report. "I was not able to eliminate the potential for an electrical-caused fire at his time."

Germain said the area where the fire originated had some non-working electrical outlets. Following the burn patterns of the fire, the master bedroom "sustained flashover as all contents had been burned to floor level," the report stated. Germain noted the bed and crib in the room sustained major fire damage.

Germain examined the remaining electrical wiring and saw the only electrical in the room was an overhead light fixture and an outlet and switch on the west wall of the room. Plugged into the outlet by the light switch was an extension cord running into the kitchen to power the stove and microwave oven on the counter.

The report listed James Skogman as the owner of the apartment. The estimated loss of the apartment is $329,500 and the estimated content loss is $32,950.