Help the Family
A fund to help the Eric and Teena Fey family, whose Martintown home was destroyed in a fire early Tuesday morning, has been established at Woodford State Bank.
Cash donations for the family will be accepted at each of Woodford's five branch locations. The family also needs clothing for the three children: a freshman boy, size 14 pants, medium shirt; an eighth-grade boy, size 12 pants, medium shirt; and a second-grade girl, size 8-10, medium shirt. Clothing can be taken to Jordan Lutheran Church in rural Browntown and Our Savior's Lutheran Church in South Wayne.
MARTINTOWN - A family is without a home after an early-morning fire destroyed their house Tuesday.
For six hours, firefighters battled a house fire that was reported at about 2:15 a.m. at N399 Clark Road west of Martintown.
Eric Fey, his wife Teena and their children Chris, 15, Kyle, 13, and Kaitlyn, 7, escaped without injury before firefighters arrived. Another daughter, Michelle, 19, had spent the night at another home.
Fey noticed the paint on the kitchen ceiling bubbling at about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday.
"We have to get out of here," he told his wife Teena.
Fey believes the fire started in the electrical wiring.
Browntown Fire Chief David Plath said he could see fire traces between the rafters in an addition to the older home.
The fire broke through lathe and plaster to reach the attic in the older, two-story portion of the home.
"It was a tough fire to fight because of the construction," Plath said.
Flames were observed breaking out of the attic about three to five minutes after firefighters arrived.
Browntown Fire Department had two crews with hoses in the house, but Plath pulled them out when the roofs began to collapse.
"We had to wait until the fire took the roof, to get it ventilated, so we could fight the fire," Plath said.
Firefighters were on the scene for about two hours before they could get the fire under control.
Plath estimated about 100,000 gallons of water were used in the fight.
The family had arrived home at about 10:30 p.m. Monday, but the electric garage door wouldn't open, Fey said.
When he reset the breaker, sparks flew from the box, and he knew something was wrong.
Fey said smoke alarms also went off earlier that night, but he could not find any smoke, even with the use of a flashlight.
Fey said he had not gone to bed before noticing the kitchen ceiling paint and had called dispatch and evacuated the family.
The family had lived in the rented home for about six years.
Fey has been laid off and Teena works as a church secretary.
Teena and the three younger children were taken to a friend's home in Monroe. Red Cross already had met with them by 8 a.m.
One South Wayne firefighter was transported by Green County Emergency Medical Services to Monroe Clinic, and four others were taken out of service because of the cold temperature.
"The weather conditions was no help," Plath said.
One Browntown firefighter estimated the temperature was about 10 below zero when they arrived.
Personnel from the South Wayne, Monroe, Juda, Brodhead, Wiota, Winslow, Ill., and Warren Ill., fire departments responded to the scene or assisted the Browntown Fire Department at the station, Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick said. The sheriff's department also assisted at the scene. Monroe Rescue 801 also was called out for firefighter rehab.
Plath declared the home a total loss. Personal items have been damaged by fire, smoke and water, he said.
Plath said the crews were taking a break at that time before going back in to rescue some of the family's personal items and to double check for hot spots.
For six hours, firefighters battled a house fire that was reported at about 2:15 a.m. at N399 Clark Road west of Martintown.
Eric Fey, his wife Teena and their children Chris, 15, Kyle, 13, and Kaitlyn, 7, escaped without injury before firefighters arrived. Another daughter, Michelle, 19, had spent the night at another home.
Fey noticed the paint on the kitchen ceiling bubbling at about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday.
"We have to get out of here," he told his wife Teena.
Fey believes the fire started in the electrical wiring.
Browntown Fire Chief David Plath said he could see fire traces between the rafters in an addition to the older home.
The fire broke through lathe and plaster to reach the attic in the older, two-story portion of the home.
"It was a tough fire to fight because of the construction," Plath said.
Flames were observed breaking out of the attic about three to five minutes after firefighters arrived.
Browntown Fire Department had two crews with hoses in the house, but Plath pulled them out when the roofs began to collapse.
"We had to wait until the fire took the roof, to get it ventilated, so we could fight the fire," Plath said.
Firefighters were on the scene for about two hours before they could get the fire under control.
Plath estimated about 100,000 gallons of water were used in the fight.
The family had arrived home at about 10:30 p.m. Monday, but the electric garage door wouldn't open, Fey said.
When he reset the breaker, sparks flew from the box, and he knew something was wrong.
Fey said smoke alarms also went off earlier that night, but he could not find any smoke, even with the use of a flashlight.
Fey said he had not gone to bed before noticing the kitchen ceiling paint and had called dispatch and evacuated the family.
The family had lived in the rented home for about six years.
Fey has been laid off and Teena works as a church secretary.
Teena and the three younger children were taken to a friend's home in Monroe. Red Cross already had met with them by 8 a.m.
One South Wayne firefighter was transported by Green County Emergency Medical Services to Monroe Clinic, and four others were taken out of service because of the cold temperature.
"The weather conditions was no help," Plath said.
One Browntown firefighter estimated the temperature was about 10 below zero when they arrived.
Personnel from the South Wayne, Monroe, Juda, Brodhead, Wiota, Winslow, Ill., and Warren Ill., fire departments responded to the scene or assisted the Browntown Fire Department at the station, Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick said. The sheriff's department also assisted at the scene. Monroe Rescue 801 also was called out for firefighter rehab.
Plath declared the home a total loss. Personal items have been damaged by fire, smoke and water, he said.
Plath said the crews were taking a break at that time before going back in to rescue some of the family's personal items and to double check for hot spots.