BILLINGS — It’s been a heck of a year for the Payne family. Timothy Payne’s work truck and tools were stolenlast December and there’s not much left of the family’s camper after it was devastated by a fire last Thursday.
“There’s everything I own going up in flames,” said Payne in a video he took of the fire that burned down his camper in the Billings Heights last week.
The camper might not have been the Payne family’s forever home, but it was everything to them.
“It’s hard to explain the feeling of watching everything you own burn up. And your shelter, your roof over your head going up in flames,” Payne said in the Heights on Sunday.
Payne and his wife Robbi Schneider were temporarily living in the camper with their two little ones on a neighbor’s property before it was destroyed.
“We were kind of on the fence on moving to Oklahoma ‘cuz we have land out there. That’s why I have the camper ready to go out there,” Payne said.
Those plans will now have to wait. Payne said he was working on a motorcycle in the garage with their neighbor’s son when he saw the sparks on Thursday.
“Everything you learn about fire safety kind of comes back to you when you’re dealing with a fire. Which it did for me, it’s the first time I ever dealt with one like that. And I couldn’t deal with it. It was just too much,” said Payne.
The couple said they’re not sure what caused the fire and without insurance, they’re unsure of what their next steps are.
“Only thing I had insurance on was my truck and it was not part of the problem,” Payne said.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for the family. Payne’s work truck and tools were stolen last December. He eventually recovered the truck using the Life 360 app, but the tools have never been returned.
“After you know so many things go wrong it’s just you get used to it I guess,” said Payne.
The family is currently staying with one of their daughters and hopes that with the community’s help, they can start over.
“You have moments of breakdowns ‘cuz you start thinking about everything. All the little things, all the things that meant the most to you, you know,” Schneider said.
You can donate to the Payne’sGoFundMe here.
