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Victims killed in Necedah house fire identified
Firefighters battled the blaze for three hours and remained on scene for 12 hours.
Three adults and three children have died following an early Sunday morning fire in Necedah.
At around 2:30 a.m., crews were called to a home on Morros Mile Road for a house fire with people trapped inside.
When crews arrived, several individuals were already in the driveway, but six people were still reported to be inside the home.
Firefighters battled the blaze for three hours and remained on scene for 12 hours.
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod President Mark Schroeder announced that the organization is mourning the loss of the six individuals who died in the fire, including a pastor and missionary in Thailand.
- Lena Henselin
- Merci Henselin
- Pastor Steve Witte
- Lydia Witte
- Charis Kuehl
- Stella Kuehl
“The pain of losing six members of one family cannot be described with words,” said Schroeder. “The only source of comfort in such a grievous time are the words that God Himself speaks to us.”
St. Mark Ministries in De Pere also named the deceased, noting they included church members and their extended family.
“There is no doubt that our God is good, but at moments like this, it is difficult to understand His ways,” the church wrote in a Facebook post. “Our hearts grieve for the Henselin family, even as we hold on to the hope of resurrection. We pray that Jesus might come quickly to usher in His New Heavens and New Earth.”
The church’s pastoral team is offering support to those in need. They have also created a GoFundMe account to support the family and are organizing a meal train.
The Juneau County Sheriff’s Office stated that the fire is believed to be accidental, and officials are continuing to investigate.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice-State Fire Marshal has been requested to assist with the investigation.
The Juneau County Sheriff’s Department received assistance from the Necedah Fire Department, New Lisbon Fire Department, Mauston Area Ambulance, the Juneau County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice/State Fire Marshal.
