Fire in Zortman Leaves Family Homeless

No one likes to hear the sound of a fire alarm going off, especially if one lives in the small close knit community of Zortman, where one would know a fire would mean someone you know is not having a good day. So it was, Tuesday the 15th of October, as Malta’s Volunteer Fire Department received the call of a fire in Zortman; tankers and pumpers were south bound in rapid fashion.

Located over 47 miles south of Malta via Hwy 191 South, the distance usually takes about an hour to get there. Luckily, except for the short distance into the former mining town, the road is paved. However, construction has been on-going between Malta and 10 miles south since early spring and there are delays and pilot cars. A loaded fire engine caravan trumps a pilot car in an emergency.

At 12:30 p.m. the call was dispatched to the fire department and medical emergency services for an ambulance. Within a short while the volunteers that serve these entities were on the go.

Upon arriving in Zortman, the fire-fighting crew went to the home of Martin Keller on Camp Creek Road. The Zortman Volunteer Fire Department and the BLM crews were already on the scene.

In an interview with Keller, he stated there has not been any definite conclusion as to what caused the fire. He said, “I will be honest…I was in the basement, in a recliner…just taking it easy…doing nothing. Samantha, my daughter was upstairs. I smelled rubber burning and decided to check matters out.”

Keller said, “When I opened the door, flames were shooting across the ceiling - I looked around to see where my daughter was. My dog was with me, he always stays with me; I broke a window out, I climbed out the window to the front porch and brought the dog out. I was yelling and banging on stuff...I ran around to the garage trying to get it. Every time I tried to go upstairs I couldn’t make it. The smoke was thick and I couldn’t see a thing!”

He said, “I looked around and saw my daughter…she came out, just stumbling down. I got her outside; there’s a little area between the garage and the house and she ran past me. I looked back upstairs ~ there was one sheet of flames going across the upper floor.”

He did have the foresight to attempt to save vehicles, but the effort was futile. The heat was far too intense. Keller stated they just went to the end of the driveway and sat down on the grass. Then the people started coming. The volunteer fire department from Zortman and the BLM crew because the fire had spread up behind his house and it was on BLM land.

“Then…the house just burned down.”

When the smoke settled, he said he lost three ATV’s, four motorcycles, a car and pickup. The vehicles and motorcycles caught on fire by what he had learned from the firefighters, what is known as “fire by heat.” By the end of the incident, the house was a complete loss, having burned to the ground.

He said when the ambulance got there he told them his daughter needed care. She was having difficulty breathing.

Keller and his daughter, Samantha, were brought to the Malta hospital where they were admitted and treated for smoke inhalation. Keller was released and spent the night in Malta.

Samantha was flown out to Denver for care due to smoke inhalation. She recently had contracted CoVid, making her lungs susceptible for more than usual damage from smoke inhalation. At the time of the interview Keller stated that Samantha had been released from the Denver hospital and was staying with his brother in Denver.

Another daughter, Sarah, was working and not at home at the time.

Two dogs perished in the fire; a third one was able to escape.

As of Tuesday, Keller is dealing with fire insurance adjusters and a fire expert. He estimated the house had been built in the 1980’s or so.

“What once was a two-story house is now…maybe a foot and a half tall,” he said.

Keller said he has no idea what caused the fire. He recalls the smell of ‘burning rubber’ and has no idea what that could have been. “We have been experiencing a lot of power surges out here.

In the midst of the fire escapade, one of the firemen was injured as well in the action, was taken to Malta for treatment and then was also flown to Denver.

Dealing with the hand he was dealt, his life hasn’t been an uneventful one.

A teacher and an avid cyclist, Keller said he and his family “love it here in Zortman.”

Keller said his family has had connections to the community. His wife had been a nurse at the hospital. Several years ago his wife had contracted some “weird disease and an autoimmune disorder” and eventually had to go on kidney dialysis. She passed away in 2017.

He then added, “…and then my son died…basically the diabetes killed him. He died in 2023. It was kind of bad watching both my son and wife dying slowly each day. You could see them getting worse but there is nothing you can do.”

He said he had a motorcycle wreck in 2018. They had to do a body scan to make sure he had no other broken bones besides his ribs. They found that he had kidney cancer, a very progressive kind. The VA sent him to Denver, and what should have been a three or four hour surgery turned into a seven hour surgery. He was pleased to share that he was now cancer free and no longer has monthly checkups, or even semi-annually. He goes every two or three years and goes again next year.

He had been a math teacher at Dodson Schools until he retired. In his earlier life he had served thirteen years in the Army and was glad to be able to have good care through the VA. He had received a medical discharge after a truck backed over him.

Are they sticking around? Oh yes. The Keller family is in love with the mountains and the little community that they call “home,” and though they will find someplace to rent for a year, it is their plan to rebuild.

“This community and county has been so good to us.”

In the meanwhile, the community is pitching in to help get them back on their feet. Keller wears a 4x shirt and size 10-10-1/2 wide shoes. The young ladies wear a 2x. Keller said he orders online for his sweatpants to assure he gets the correct size. They will not be needing household items or furniture at this time until they know where they will be living, which, hopefully, they will know soon. For now, they are guests of the Buckhorn Cabins in Zortman until hunting season hits.

“People have been nice,” Keller stated…”all of them.”

“That’s the type of people and community we were looking for when we moved here…just so kind.”