By Joelyn Hansen
The Idaho Falls Post Register
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — A family of five died in a predawn house fire northwest of Idaho Falls on Monday despite the frantic efforts of friends and neighbors.
Simon Perez Jimenez, 44, his wife, Ester Gonzalez De Perez, 37, and the couple’s three children — Esmeralda Perez Gonzalez, 12, Antonio Perez Gonzalez, 9, and Jose Guadalupe Perez Gonzalez, 3 — were found dead Monday morning after a fire destroyed their trailer at 4135 N. 57th West. The blaze caused $18,000 in property damages.
Idaho Falls Fire Department Division Chief Rick Taylor said Monday that it appears the family may have attempted to get out of the trailer but couldn’t reach safety before the fire consumed the structure. Fire officials believe the fire may have started near the front door, the only exit from the trailer.
The trailer was fully engulfed before firefighters arrived on scene at about 4 a.m. The family was found in the trailer’s back bedrooms.
Jimenez’s employer, Ralph Isom, said his son, Scott, was awakened at about 3:45 a.m. by other farm employees who lived next to the family. The group attempted to contain the fire until firefighters could arrive on scene, and they tried to rescue the family by banging on the windows to get the family’s attention.
“We thought for a while they’d gotten out, there was so much confusion,” Ralph Isom said.
Taylor said the trailer only had one door toward the front of the home because the trailer’s original backdoor had been modified into a laundry room.
Because the trailer, owned by Jimenez, had been an existing structure, it was still in compliance with Bonneville County fire codes, Taylor said.
Jimenez had worked at Isom’s farm for nearly 20 years in the fields during the growing and harvest seasons and as a mechanic in the winter.
Jimenez was remembered as a loyal and hardworking employee by the Isom family.
“You needed a hand, and he’d help you out,” said Scott Isom, who worked with Jimenez daily.
Ester Gonzalez De Perez worked at the Shilo Inn in Idaho Falls. The motel’s manager declined to comment on her death.
The two older children attended Westside Elementary School in Idaho Falls School District 91. Esmeralda had just completed sixth grade, and Antonio had completed fourth grade Friday.
Westside Elementary teachers remember both children warmly.
“I just have very fond memories of (Esmeralda),” Nikki Johnson said about her former student. “I’ve watched her grow up.”
Fourth-grade teacher Marcy Jensen said both Esmeralda and Antonio were dedicated students.
Jensen added that Antonio was always a “happy” little boy and managed to have a hug for her at the end of each school day, and that Esmeralda was “beautiful and smart gal.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the fire marshal believes the fire likely started from outside near or on the front entry of the home, Taylor said.
"(The fire) was pretty grim and it was pretty ugly,” Ralph Isom said.
Autopsies of the bodies are being performed to determine the cause of death.
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