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House fire starts right across from Wauzeka fire station

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By Correne Martin

 

A house fire that left pretty extensive damage to a home in Wauzeka Saturday night is believed to have originated in one of the back bedrooms, according to Wauzeka Fire Chief Nick Zeeh.

The call came across the scanner about 7:40 p.m., when one of the neighbors radioed in the fire happening at 100 W. Park St., the home of Crystal Krachey and her son, Brady Krachey. The house is located across the street from the fire station, where Brady, who is the department’s secretary, was in the office at the time of the call. No one was in the home at the time, Zeeh said.

“The initial knock down was relatively quick. It did get into the attic, so it was a little more of a chore,” the chief stated. “We were on scene until midnight.”

Boscobel and Eastman were called in for mutual aid. 

The source of the fire is yet unknown, Zeeh said. It was particularly difficult though, he added, being the home of “one of our own.”

One heartwarming aspect of the tragedy was the great number of neighbors who were on scene helping pull hose and providing lighting wherever they could late into the night. 

Crystal’s husband, Todd, passed away four years ago, and a lot of his sports memorabilia was in the basement of the house. The neighbors also helped move a lot of that out Saturday night. 

“We salvaged what we could. It was like a conveyer belt of people pitching in and passing things out,” Zeeh noted. “It was nice to see the support. Those items have a lot of sentimental value to them.”

This was the second house fire in Wauzeka within eight days’ time. In both instances, the homeowners’ smoke alarms were working. 

Zeeh said he’d like to remind community members of the importance of making sure their smoke alarms are functioning, electrical outlets aren’t overloaded, dryer vents are clear, etc.

“I’m not saying that was the cause or anything. It’s just a good time for a reminder,” he said.

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