House fire in Marshfield, WI. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
MARSHFIELD, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – A Marshfield family is on a journey to rebuild after a devastating fire consumed their home in December.
“You get a call that you just don’t ever want to have. Our daughter said ‘our house is on fire,'” said Jake Gropp, a Marshfield resident.
Jake’s daughter Kristen and her family were woken up around midnight by the sound of breaking glass and the sight of smoke. Kristen’s husband Matt was the first to notice something wrong.
“Smoke was billowing into our house and glass was breaking, so I woke up my wife and kids and we got out of the house and realized the garage was on fire at that time,” said Matt.
All five family members escaped safely and ran to their neighbor’s house, where they eventually met with Kristen’s parents.
“You don’t think it is going to be that bad, and we came over and it was smoke and fire trucks, and spent the night watching the firemen battle the blaze. It was just all kind of surreal,” said Jake.
Firefighters worked for several hours to contain the fire but eventually had to demolish what remained.
Matt and his family have been staying with Kristen’s parents while they continue to clean up. They express immense gratitude for the support from the Marshfield community.
“The community has been amazing, for everybody helping us and giving what we need and donating everything to us,” said Matt. “That’s one thing I can say is that the Marshfield community is really amazing with everything they’ve done to set things up for donations.”
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