MESA, AZ — A Mesa family is facing a major restoration project after their home's roof caught fire and collapsed on July 4th, and the homeowner believes fireworks were to blame.
Laura Standage says this week would have marked 30 years that her family has lived at their Mesa home near Gilbert and Brown — the same home where they raised eight kids.
Standage says her family was at their Tonto Basin home for the July 4th weekend when neighbors began calling around 10 p.m. to report that the home's stacked, wooden roof had caught fire. When they returned, and the sun came up on July 5th, the full scope of the damage became clear.
"Kind of stunned I think. It still doesn't feel real, but it is," Standage said.
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Mesa Fire told ABC15 the roof collapsed during the defensive firefight. Some police officers were treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and Mesa Fire says that fireworks have not been confirmed as the cause at this time.
Multiple neighbors, including Tiffany Mauzy, say there was significant fireworks activity in the area the night of July 4th.
"You can buy fireworks, just watch 'em," Mauzy said.
When ABC15 met with Standage on Thursday, she showed me a firework casing still lying in her driveway.
"I don't think they realized what they did," Standage said.
Standage says she told investigators and her insurance company that she believes fireworks were involved in starting the fire.
"It's a hard thing to go through, I think the hardest thing is when I see people who don't have the resources we did. We were lucky, but other people aren't lucky. They're without a home, they're without insurance, no one was hurt, but we had fire and police going into the home and risking their lives, that's what is important," Standage said.
Standage says she loves a celebration as much as anyone, but there's a reason aerial fireworks are illegal in Arizona. The official cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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