Amish Community Steps In to Help After Ashtabula County Home Destroyed by Fire (Ohio)

An Amish community in Ashtabula County, Ohio has apparently been making quick work of cleanup, after a community member lost their home in a devastating fire Monday. From the report at the Star Beacon:

WILLIAMSFIELD TOWNSHIP — Debris from a fire that destroyed a two story home along Route 7 Monday was removed by Amish crews Tuesday, clearing the site of the home to prepare for the rebuilding process.

Earth-moving equipment was used to sift through the debris after fire destroyed the home in the 6000 block of Route 7. Some of the wood from the home was burned west of the site as they sifted through the remnants of the fire.

Andover Fire Chief Matt Bush said the call came in around 3 p.m. Monday, and it appeared to have started with a heater at the home. Foul play is not suspected in the fire, he said.

The home was described as a “total loss”, but thankfully no one was injured.

Also, I’ll note that I’m assuming “community member” means “member of the Amish community,” though I suppose technically it could refer to the greater local community, which includes non-Amish.

As to what sort of heater might have started the fire (assuming it was an Amish-inhabited home), it may have been a propane heater. Here is an example of one variety in an Amish home:

Williamsfield Township in Ashtabula County is home to a small Amish community of around 130 people. The fire response brought in teams from surrounding communities, with at least 11 units joining the efforts.

The article also contains this eye-catching, though you’d assume unrelated, detail. According to Fire Chief Matt Bush, “there had been two motor vehicle crashes on the property as well during the last year.”

“Eye-catching” because it is not one but two crashes, and that they happened “on” the property (not “in front of”, for example, which might be the case say if there was a dangerous intersection, or turn-out nearby).

I’m not sure if that is just odd wording, or if the accidents literally happened on the premises. Perhaps the property is located on a curve, where cars are apt to lose control, and they crash into a fence.

That aside, this person has the blessing of a community willing to swiftly step in and help them get back on their feet. I can’t imagine the trauma of completely losing one’s home and belongings, especially the irreplaceables.

Having a caring community to help you clean up and rebuild has to go a long way towards dealing with this highly stressful, to say the least, life event.

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