NECEDAH – Nadine Zielinski was watching television in the middle of the night, hours before dawn Sunday, when she heard what sounded like "the mortar of fireworks" going off next door. She called police to report the noise, and was told the rental home was on fire, and the local fire department was already responding.
Zielinski hurried to the window and saw flames above the tree line, and the trees were engulfed in glowing bright orange flames.
"I heard fireworks," she said. "I know the sound of fireworks intimately."
Her guess was that people renting the home were staying for the week, and had fireworks in the house for a Fourth of July celebration.
The Juneau County Sheriff's Office offered no such detail Monday in a press release, or later when reached by phone. It said only that three adults and three children — all related — died in a fire that was considered accidental. They offered no specifics on survivors. The release just said: "Upon arrival, deputies ... located multiple individuals in the driveway near the residence. While escorting the individuals a safe distance away, deputies asked if everyone was accounted for."
The fire was reported at about 2:35 a.m. Sunday on Morros Mile Road in Necedah. Fire department crews battled the fire for about three hours and were on the scene for more than 12 hours, according to the release. The usually quiet neighborhood is populated mostly by cabins, and seasonal or vacation homes, sitting near Castle Rock Lake.
As of Monday evening, the investigation was continuing, with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the State Fire Marshal assisting.
Longtime minister and family members lost lives
The victims were identified as Rev. Steve Witte; his daughters Lydia Witte and Charis Kuehl; and his granddaughters Stella Kuehl, Lena Henselin and Merci Henselin, according to the multiple posts on social media and church websites connected with Witte.
Witte served as a minister in the early 2000s at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Green Bay, according to Mike Pfeifer, a staff minister at the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod church. After a number of years, he received a “call” to serve overseas and has been serving in southeast Asia for about 15 years.
Witte and his wife were on furlough back in the United States and had been in the country for a couple of weeks. They planned to stay another two weeks before Sunday’s tragedy.
Pfeifer said he has known Witte for about 30 years, and the Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church community "is both in shock at the news and the sadness of it," he said.
The front of the Beautiful Savior website on Monday was dedicated to the Witte family, and said: "The Epistle reading for this week contained Paul's words that he was "perplexed, but not in despair."
It went on to say: "Though'perplexed' a Christian never needbe 'in despair.' God's thoughts are hidden, but He has promised that He works through tragedy to accomplish what will be revealed as part of His good and gracious love for His children. Please keep all who mourn in your prayers!"
Larry Schlomer, administrator of WELS World Missions, said Witte had about one year left before he returned to the U.S. permanently, and "he was doing what he loved" when he was back this summer spending time with his family.
"Steve was looking forward to his time with Jesus," Schlomer said. "It just came sooner than any of us would have hoped."
Neighbors mentioned number of people staying in home
Bill Reczek from Palatine, Illinois, owns a vacation home down the road. He was away at the time of the fire but felt the impact of the tragedy.
“It’s not like you’re immune to having feelings on something like this,” Reczek said. “I’ve got grandkids, I’ve got kids … it’s just a sad, tragic thing that people lose their lives.”
Multiple neighbors expressed concern about the number of guests staying at the house. According to a listing on Zillow, the two-story house had four bedrooms and a basem*nt. Neighbors estimated 18 people were staying there.
The home is often rented out, he added, and frequently loud at night. These visitors were different.
“At 1:30 in the morning, that place was quiet and pitch black. By 2:30 in the morning, the whole house was on fire,” he said.
By Monday evening, it was hard to make out from the black rubble that a house had stood on the site. A handful of people drove up to take a look. A lone deputy sat in his car, guarding the site from trespassers. The smell of smoke still hung heavy in the air.
Zielinski said she was grateful for the recent rain in Necedah, as that might have prevented the fire from spreading to the heavily wooded area. Chunks of ash fell into her yard, she added.
“Thank God this wasn’t last year. If it was last year, we would not have a home … because it was so dry,” Zielinski said.
But that gave her small comfort.
“What’s really heartbreaking is we listened to those kids for three days,” she said.
