By Mary O’KEEFE

Regan Boone is well-known in the area for her longtime work with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of the Foothills and her Highway Highlands Farm unique jams and jellies sold at Sunday’s Montrose Harvest Market. But recently she was also known as the owner of a house that was on fire in the 3600 block of 3rd Avenue.

When one walks toward the house it doesn’t appear as if a fire occurred as recently as July 21 but once the front door is opened the damage is obvious.

“There was water damage throughout the house,” Boone said.

The house has been red tagged and is considered a total loss. There are several large holes in the attic and roof, and daylight can be seen through those holes. The carpets have mildew and the smell of smoke and musty water permeates the house.

Boone wasn’t home when the fire started.

“We were at Home Depot,” she said. “We were planning on building a fence in the backyard.”

She had left her cellphone on her bed and had no idea what was happening at her residence while she was gone.

“When I came home I tried the [automatic] garage door opener and it didn’t work. I asked a neighbor if her power was out and she got this sad look on her face,” Boone said.

The neighbor broke the news to her of the fire. Boone said it was surreal as she approached her home that was built almost eight decades ago. The yellow asbestos tiles on the outside of the home did not reveal the damage that was inside. After she walked into her house she was devastated by the damage. She later found out the cause of the fire appeared to be electrical and that it began in the attic. In battling the blaze firefighters had to cut through the roof and the ceiling.

After the fire was out neighbors and firefighters put all of her salvageable possessions in the middle of the living room and placed a tarp over them.

The damage in a closet from the roof to the floor destroyed all of her clothes.

“The only thing I had left was my shorts, top and shoes I had worn to [Home Depot],” she said.

Boone immediately contacted her insurance company, then looked through what she could save and contacted her family to let them know about the loss.

She had been planning on some life changes prior to the fire. COVID-19 had slowed down her Highway Highlands Farm business so she and her friend decided they would rent a house in Montana.

“I had already rented the [house there],” she said.

Boone had found someone to not only rent her La Crescenta home but to also work with her business, allowing it to expand. The business had more stores offering to sell the jars of jellies and jams and more orders were coming in every day.

“And then came the fire,” Boone said.

Always the optimist, Boone has found a few slivers of a silver lining, like finding her dad’s ring from 1947 on the floor of the destroyed closet, and learning her beloved O’Keefe and Merritt stove can be refurbished.

She did have one “real good cry” a few days ago.

“It was 3 a.m. and I was listening to music and Lyle Lovett’s ‘Step Inside This House’ came on. I just sat and cried, and thought I have nothing, nothing left,” she said.

The property has a small ADU [Accessory Dwelling Unit] that Boone has rented out. The ADU was not affected by the fire and her tenant is still there – something she is grateful for.

“We have already had looters,” she said. The tenant was able to help with security.

Boone decided it would not be fair to charge rent during the reconstruction of the house.

“I have insurance but I still have to pay the mortgage and insurance doesn’t cover all the costs,” she said.

But anyone who knows Boone has seen her fighting spirit come back from every bump in the road, even if that bump seemed more like a mountain. Her plan is to rebuild her family home and keep its charming footprint. Although production of her jams and jellies has ended for now she was able to sell out her inventory. Her business license address is her 3rd Avenue home so she will not be cooking up anything soon but she is taking advantage of this time to come up with new recipes.

When news of whose home had burned, CVW began getting emails, calls and texts from community members asking how they can help and many asked about a GoFundMe page. One should be up by the end of today, Thursday.

Anyone who would like to help can do so by searching the GoFundMe site for Regan Boone or by calling the CV Weekly office at (818) 248-2740.

  Mary Okeefe