The Clyde community is working to help a family whose home was destroyed by a house fire this past weekend.
The fire was called in at 8:25 p.m. Saturday night at 203 Amanda Street.
“We do not know how the fire started, just yet,” Clyde fire chief Craig Davis said. “The fire is under investigation at this time.”
The family of eight was home at the time of the fire and called to report the blaze, according to Davis. In addition to the parents and six children, extended family members were visiting the home when the fire broke out.
“When we got to the scene of the fire, we had smoke pouring out of the eaves and the windows of the second floor,” Davis said. “We got in and were able to put the fire out. The fire originated in a closet in an upstairs bedroom.”
There were no injuries due to the fire.
“We did have Red Cross come to the scene, as well as (Sandusky County EMS) Life Squad 15,” Davis said. “We were on scene approximately three hours.”
Davis estimated the damage to the house around $50,000.
“The house was a duplex,” he said. “We had smoke and heat damage on the second floor, and there was some water damage on the first floor of the one side. The second side of the duplex is just a downstairs and it didn’t get touched.”
While the family lost its clothes, winter items and shoes, it could have been much worse, according to Davis.
“There were smoke alarms present at the house, but they were not working,” he said. “They got lucky. If it had happened in the middle of the night, it would have been pretty heavy, toxic black smoke. Then couple that with the fact they had family staying there, it could have been much worse.
“We did have a good discussion about smoke detector usage.”
In addition to the Clyde Fire Department, Red Cross and Life Squad 15, Clyde General Services was on the scene to put salt down and Clyde Environmental Services was on the scene for hydrant maintenance to prevent any freezing afterward.
Clyde had 17 firefighters at the scene, and Green Springs had another 10.
The Clyde-Green Springs School District is now trying to get the family replacements for the items lost in the fire. An email went out to all district employees on Monday asking for assistance.
“The Lachner/Wetzel family have six children who are now in need of clothes, winter items and shoes,” the email said. “They are currently being assisted by the Red Cross but will still be in need of clothing, furniture and household items in the near future.”
The email also included sizes for clothing needed by the family:
- Newborn boy clothing/items
- Boy: 4T, shoe size: 3
- Girl 5T, shoe size: 1
- Boy 7-8, shoe size: 11
- Girls 10-12, shoe size: 5
- Boy: 14-16, shoe size: 7
- Adult female: Large (9-11), shoe size: 8 1/2
- Adult male: XL, pant size 32, shoe size: 12
Those who would like to donate items are asked to drop them off at 312 East Maple Street in Clyde. A Go Fund Me page has also been set up for monetary donations at https://gofundme.com: Help for the Wetzel Family.
“At this time it is hard to know how much will be donated and what their needs will be, so we will keep you updated once we make contact with the family,” the email message said. “In the mean time, please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers and continue to support the kids as you all do so well.”
