Women organizing fundraiser for family hurt in Sunday morning house fire

IDAHO FALLS – Several local women are raising funds for the family injured in a house fire in Idaho Falls Sunday morning.

Timanee Olsen is hosting a cookie sale and car wash fundraiser for the Hurst family on July 18. It’s happening in the parking lot of Sexton’s Car Collection at 135 East Anderson.

“Cars can pull into Sexton’s, get a wash and dry for any amount of donation, and they can enjoy a cookie while they wait. Organized chaos, but I think it’s going to be awesome,” Olsen tells EastIdahoNews.com.

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Officers rescued four people from the burning house on Terry Drive just before 6 a.m. Sunday. Among them were Fermin and Bobbi Hurst, who remain in the ICU at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center with severe burns. Brandon Hurst and Kate Kraft were also in the house. They were treated and are reportedly doing well.

Olsen knows the Hurst family, and she says she and Bobbi’s coworkers, Taylor Nelson and Shasta Copeland, were inspired to help after hearing they were hurt.

“Bobbi and Fermin are acquaintances of mine. Fermin did my tattoo sleeve, and Bobbi has bought cookies several times. Lots of my friends are their friends. I just want to help,” she says.

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Fermin owns a tattoo shop called Tat 208 at 475 Northgate Mile. Olsen is known as the Cookie Momster and owns a shack at Sexton’s Car Collection.

The cookie and car wash fundraiser will be happening from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All the proceeds from the car wash will go directly towards the Hurst family, and 75% of cookie sales that day will also be donated.

A GoFundMe established for the family has raised more than $16,000 as of Wednesday. If you’d like to donate, click here.