Jocelyn Fogle arrived at her Yelm home on Tuesday, Jan. 9 to what she described as a “wall of black smoke.” She couldn’t see 6 inches into the house due to an electrical fire that began in her kitchen.
Fogle, her husband, Wesley, and their two children were not home when the fire began, but the blaze took the life of her dog, McClane, and the house was a total loss. As a result, her dog daycare and boarding business, The Darling Dog, is “on hold for the time being,” Fogle said.
“It was just a really unfortunate accident,” she added. “We’re good. We’re safe. We have the essentials. I’m dealing with the personal side of it, and my husband’s dealing with the business side and the insurance.”
Zack Rosenquest and Veejay Lach, longtime friends and former classmates of the Fogles, organized a GoFundMe page to help raise money for their friends. They also contacted their mutual friends and went to work on finding ways to help.
“We have a group chat with our close circle of friends, and I told them what’s going on and asked for ideas,” Rosenquest said. “Someone made a live Google Doc that had everything they needed, like kitchen utensils, clothes, pillows, blankets and anything like that. Then, we all started signing up for what we could give them right now.”
The Fogles’ friends thought of the idea to host a fundraiser event and raffle prizes to raise more money. Prizes included two sets of tickets to a Seattle Kraken game, a full-day bounce house rental, a 60-person dinner voucher from Steele BBQ, a $50 Casa Mia gift card, a beer cooler and more. White Horse Tavern in Yelm offered to host the event on Friday, Jan. 19, and the raffle raised more than $2,500 for the Fogles. As of Monday, Jan. 22, more than $5,200 was donated through GoFundMe.
“It was kind of shocking and overwhelming,” Fogle said of the support from her friends and family. “All of our really close friends and family stepped up and brought food, clothes and toys. It’s just crazy seeing everybody’s comments and reaching out. It’s been humbling.”
While they search for a rental home, the Fogles are staying at her father’s house and anticipate rebuilding their home. They first want to show their appreciation for their friends and the local community for aiding them in their time of need.
“I am really proud of our small little community for stepping up and helping out the way they have,” Fogle said. “It makes me proud to be from little Yelm.”
