Bremerton teacher rebuilding after devastating house fire

BREMERTON, Wash. – The community is rallying around a Bremerton teacher and her sister after a fire ripped through their home last Thursday.

Anita Cryder says neighbors spotted the smoke at around 4:15 pm while she was still at work. When she got the call, she was terrified her pets might be trapped inside.

The backstory:

Although many of her memories and everyday household items were burned up in the fire, she is thankful that the community is behind her and her sister Lisa. She says she's also grateful the family's pets were able to do some quick thinking to make it out alive.

“This is Izzy,” said Anita. “She just turned four a couple of months ago, and she is everything to me.”

Izzy, Anita's cat Pumpkin and her sister's dog Tyrion were all in the house alone when the fire broke out.

“I couldn’t get there fast enough even though it was like so close,” said Anita.

Neighbors saw smoke and called the fire in. She got notified after work, wrapped up at school, and rushed home.   

“The back of the house is pretty much totally gone,” said Cryder.

Although the home was left in ruins, she was overjoyed her furry trio of beloved pets were able to somehow find their way to safety.

“I have a dog door and if I didn’t have that, this might be a totally different outcome,” said Anita.

As the home burned, neighbors gathered the animals and cared for them until Anita arrived.

“I can’t even imagine if something had happened to her. It’s unimaginable. I can’t even think about it to be honest,” said Anita, about Izzy. 

“I was just in a panic state honestly,” said Hannah Cryder, Anita’s daughter, pictured with Pumpkin below.

Hannah lives at the home when she isn't in school, and says her mom is her everything.

“For a few moments, I didn’t know for sure she wasn’t home,” Hannah said. “To know that Izzy and all the animals were OK is just all that you can ask for, right?”

“It’s definitely different when it’s happening to your own family for sure,” said Alex Cryder, Anita's son.

What's next:

Alex is a firefighter himself. His wife Patricia started an online fundraiser for his mom. Many co-workers and fire departments have stepped up to donate.

“I can’t even put it into words how thankful I am,” said Alex.

Anita hopes to try to salvage any family heirlooms that she can, like her old piano.

Izzy's toys were also destroyed, so the community also stepped up and started dropping off toys for her as well.

“The outpouring in the community has been amazing,” said Anita.

Anita says her next steps will be to get back to work to create some normalcy in her life. She says she's going to be staying with her son and daughter-in-law Patricia for the time being.  

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