NECEDAH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Six people with connections to a De Pere church died in a house fire in central Wisconsin over the weekend.
St. Mark Ministries posted on Facebook that church members Karl and Hannah Henselin and some of their extended family were vacationing at a rental home when the fire broke out Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
Steve Witte, a pastor from Green Bay, died. With him, two of his daughters, Lydia Witte and Charise Kuehl. Also killed in the fire were his three granddaughters — Stella Kuehl and Lena and Merci Henselin.
Emergency responders were called about a house fire in Necedah around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release from the Juneau County Sheriff’s Office.
They arrived to find the home engulfed in flames. Multiple people outside the home reported as many as six people – three adults and three children – were unaccounted for.
Firefighters battled the blaze for three hours. The six family members perished as a result of the fire, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said the fire appears to be accidental but an investigation is ongoing. The state fire marshal is assisting at local authorities’ request.
The state fire marshal operates as part of the state Department of Justice. Agency spokesperson Gillian Drummond said the marshal typically gets involved at the request of local police or fire departments to help determine a fire’s origin and causes. There’s no minimum dollar threshold for damage nor a requirement that foul play is suspected for the marshal to get involved.
An online fundraiser has been established to help the family.
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