Fire destroys farm home
Fire destroys farm home
By ALLAN TINKER
They weren’t calling the wind “Mariah” on June 7. But the wind by any name helped accelerate the fire at the farm home, one of those prairie winds that wreak havoc on many occasions.
The Tuesday fire, assumed to have started in wiring or an electrical box in the older house, happened in mid-afternoon. The smoke was seen by owner Holly Roubal and son Austin and grandson Anthony shortly after they had returned home. Husband Terry reported he was at work in Alaska and when he received word of what had happened was home by Wednesday morning, the next day.
Terry reported that they have lost nearly everything. A few smoke-smelling clothes and some blankets were salvaged but barely enough items remained to put into a pickup box. Tools of various types, household belongings, supplies for the farm in a storage building that also burned, a creep feeder, propane tank and chicken coop all went up in flames also.
Terry stated they returned on Monday, June 6, to sift through what was left and found only the mentioned items. He stated he will dig a hole, push the debris into it, and plant something for the mules to eat on top of it.
“We are trying to remain positive and find the reason for this,” he said. “We will find out, I am sure,” he said, speaking philosophically.
It is one more in a series of life’s happenings that have challenged the couple. They had a bad car accident about ten years previously that is still not resolved; lost a dairy enterprise six years ago; their son Andrew nearly dies from Goodpasture’s Disease last summer, lost dad Leon in November of 2010, and now have the loss of their home and belongings. Any one of these things would be difficult to keep faith against; all of them will certainly be a greater challenge to meet.
