Local man rescues Bigfork business from fire

A local man is being touted as a Bigfork hero after saving a business from going up in flames last week.

Fletcher Anderson, a bartender at the Garden Bar, put out a kitchen fire at La Provence on Nov. 3 that could have engulfed the entire building.

"The firemen told me that five minutes later might have been too late," said Caroline Guizol, co-owner of La Provence. "It's frightening to imagine how horrible it could have been."

The restaurant was closed for dinner at the time while co-owner Marc Guizol was out of town. A bucket of rags with degreaser on them spontaneously combusted around 9 p.m.

Caroline Guizol received a call from the restaurant's alarm company alerting her to the fire and called deli manager Kim Kauk who was the closest with a key.

Anderson, who stopped by the Garden to get a drink, saw a gathering of people outside of La Provence. He met Kauk at the door, grabbed a fire extinguisher and rushed into the kitchen to put out the fire.

"They were lucky the fire didn't explode when they opened the door," Guizol said.

Anderson said he had to go back and forth several times to put out the flames all before the Bigfork Volunteer Fire Department arrived.

"I just did it," Anderson said. "I didn't really think about it. Someone had to do it."

Anderson's efforts also saved La Provence from the significant water damage it would have received had the fire department gone in with hoses.

"For a place that wasn't open, was locked up and closed to have so little damage is unheard of," Guizol said.

Meanwhile, the Guizols closed down for the rest of last week and have been working to clean up from the fire. One wall has to be replaced and they are cleaning up from the extinguisher and the smoke smell. La Provence reopened Saturday.

"If it were not for [Anderson], we would have lost our livelihood," Guizol said. "We owe him and Kim a huge debt of gratitude."

While Anderson doesn't have any fire training, he has been on the ski patrol at Blacktail Mountain.

"I don't know him, but other people say he is the first person to show up to help out when someone is in need," Guizol said.

This isn't the first time Anderson has lifted a helping hand in an emergency. A few weeks ago he and Josh Searcy, his friend and fellow bartender, helped rescue a 16-year-old boy who had dislocated his shoulder while kayaking and was stranded in the Swan River.

"He was definitely going to go down hill fast," Anderson said.

The boy's friend came in to the Garden to see if they had a phone he could use to call for help and Anderson and Searcy grabbed some rope and went down to the river themselves. There they pulled the boy, who was by that time suffering from hypothermia, to safety.

The boy, who is a Kalispell resident, was driven to the hospital and Anderson said he has heard that he is now recovering.

"You've got to do what you've got to do and help people," Anderson said.