A quiet home nestled in a small southern Alberta town became the centrepoint of “horror and loss” last weekend.
Just before noon last Saturday a fire broke out in the yard of a Granum home near Highway 3. One of the owners, Terry Steppler says it seemed under control until it reached his house.
“I was getting some water in, but the fire and the flames didn’t look like anything was happening. Then I saw it go to the house.”
The home was destroyed.
Kelly Starling, the fire chief for the Municipal District of Willow Creek, says the neighbours were there before firefighters arrived and didn’t hesitate to help.
“Right from the moment the fire started, the community stepped up. We had volunteers or community members try to help extinguish the blaze or control it until the fire department got here,” said Starling.
Cindy Lu Routledge Steppler, co-owner of the burned-down house, says she is thankful for those who have supported her and her family during their darkest hours.
“The best thing out of anything is just having someone to talk to, who comes by and shares (messages like) ‘We’re here’ and “We care,’ and ‘What can we do?’”
The family is now living in an apartment connected to the Country Stop restaurant just a few blocks from where they once called home.
The owner of the restaurant, Catherine Sabina Wurz, says she was keeping the accommodations as a bed and breakfast, but the need of the Stepplers outweighed that. Furthermore, she says she once heard a motto from a local real estate agent that rings true right now.
“If you buy a house in Granum, you don’t buy a house – you buy a community; it is so true. This community pulls together like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life and it is absolutely heartwarming.”
The Steppler home is a write-off but the family hopes to rebuild without leaving their community.
“I never knew how much was here in this little town that recognized us,” said Steppler.