Tecumseh church to host fundraiser for family who lost house to fire
TECUMSEH — Covenant Evangelical Presbyterian Church will have a cookie walk fundraiser for the Dalton family, who recently lost their home to fire.
The fundraiser will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, at the church, 5290 Milwaukee Road, Tecumseh. The public is invited to attend. Shoppers will walk around the tables and choose from a large selection of homemade cookies and treats. The cost is $7 per pound, cash or check.
A friend of the family has also organized a GoFundMe benefit for the family. Visit gofund.me/fd69c27b to donate.
A pile of ashes is what the Dalton family recently returned to see at their home at 6970 Allen Road in Tecumseh Township. Just a few articles were left behind: a passport photo here, a sketchbook there, and a wedding band for a wedding planned to take place soon.
The family that occupied the home at the time consisted of husband and wife, Ryan and Rebecca, and their daughter, Sabrie.
“The cause of the fire according to investigators from the homeowners’ insurance company and others was most likely a grounding rod from a newly installed antenna tower was driven through the liquified petroleum gas line along the side of the house,” Tecumseh Fire Chief Joe Tuckey said in an email, noting that there was an explosion.
The propane tank overheated and the fuel escaping through the release vent ignited about 10 minutes after firefighters arrived on scene. The firefighters cooled the tank for a few hours until the fuel was gone.
The family was thankfully away taking care of a medical emergency in the family. Even the dog was left at a family members’ home. Firefighters said they would not have survived had they been home.
The family has been staying with family members in Belleville and is slated to get a rental unit later this week. They recently bought winter coats and attire for a funeral, but they are slowly recognizing the things they need.
“The difficult part is half the time we don’t know what we need until you go to reach for it and it’s not there. Like we had to go get funeral attire when my grandpa passed because we didn’t have black clothing, stuff like that,” Sabrie said. “We just got winter coats, which is exciting because we were getting a little cold, but it’s a slow process. You can’t replace a lifetime in a couple of days. So the GoFundMe has been very helpful to us in being able to replace those things when we need them, other than that, we just need prayers. That’s really all I could ask.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh church to host fundraiser for family who lost house to fire
