Fire destroys town of Holway home

A cold wind was blowing across the open fields around where Menno Borntreger farms Tuesday morning. Family, friends and neighbors gathered to help sift through the rubble that remained from the farmhouse destroyed in an early morning fire.

According to Borntreger, there were no serious injuries from the fire.

Firefighters from the Stetstonville Fire Department were dispatched to the structure fire at N1680 Wren Drive in the town of Holway at 2:27 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1. The property is owned by Melvin and Rosa Beechy.

Borntreger called in the fire from Bernard Dums’ home on Apple Ave. When emergency responders arrived on the scene, the west side of the residence was completely engulfed in flames with members of the family entering on the east side of the structure and attempting to remove items.

Beechy told the deputies that he believed the fire had started over leaving hot coals in a pail on the front porch. He stated he attempted to put the fire out by shoveling snow on the flames, without success.

They then ran to a neighbor’s house to ask them to contact the sheriff’s office.

Stetsonville firefighters were assisted with tenders from Medford Area Fire Department, Owen Fire and Central Fire.

Firefighters managed to save a part of the approximately 100-year-old farmhouse however virtually all of the family’s clothes and belongings were destroyed or heavily damaged.