Granum house fire devastates family, brings out best in community

A quiet location nestled successful a mini confederate Alberta municipality became nan centrepoint of “horror and loss” past weekend.

Just earlier noon past Saturday a occurrence collapsed retired successful nan gait of a Granum location adjacent Highway 3. One of nan owners, Terry Steppler says it seemed nether power until it reached his house.

“I was getting immoderate h2o in, but nan occurrence and nan flames didn’t look for illustration thing was happening. Then I saw it spell to nan house.”

The location was destroyed.

Kelly Starling, nan occurrence main for nan Municipal District of Willow Creek, says nan neighbours were location earlier firefighters arrived and didn’t hesitate to help.

“Right from nan infinitesimal nan occurrence started, nan organization stepped up. We had volunteers aliases organization members effort to thief extinguish nan blaze aliases power it until nan occurrence section sewage here,” said Starling.

Cindy Lu Routledge Steppler, co-owner of nan burned-down house, says she is thankful for those who person supported her and her family during their darkest hours.

“The champion point retired of thing is conscionable having personification to talk to, who comes by and shares (messages like) ‘We’re here’ and “We care,’ and ‘What tin we do?’”

The family is now surviving successful an flat connected to nan Country Stop edifice conscionable a fewer blocks from wherever they erstwhile called home.

The proprietor of nan restaurant, Catherine Sabina Wurz, says she was keeping nan accommodations arsenic a furniture and breakfast, but nan request of nan Stepplers outweighed that. Furthermore, she says she erstwhile heard a motto from a section existent property supplier that rings existent correct now.

“If you bargain a location successful Granum, you don’t bargain a location – you bargain a community; it is truthful true. This organization pulls together for illustration thing I’ve ever seen successful my life and it is perfectly heartwarming.”

The Steppler location is simply a write-off but nan family hopes to rebuild without leaving their community.

“I ne'er knew really overmuch was present successful this small municipality that recognized us,” said Steppler.