Experiencing the unimaginable
That’s what happened to a Clearfield County Fire Company on this Christmas Eve.
Baylee Wojcik spoke with some members of the department and tells us what they’re doing to support a family after a deadly fire.
At around two Tuesday Afternoon, a home on Coalward Street in Winburne caught fire, and multiple crews rushed to the scene.
Tyler bender with the Winburne Volunteer Fire Company says that it was quickly confirmed that a person was trapped in the home.
He says that the person inside wasn’t just anyone, it was Clifford, better known as “Butch” Dunlap, the father of Fire Chief Bobby Dunlap and Grandfather of another crew member.
“They made every effort to try and get him out, but the structure was very unstable and ended up collapsing, making it too unsafe for firemen to be going in to get him to safety.”
Sadly, Bender says that Dunlap died in the fire. He says that Dunlap was not only one of the first people to join the Winburne Volunteer Fire Company when it was established, but was considered a cornerstone of the community.
His Grandson Noah says that almost everyone knew him.
“He was known by a lot of people here in Winburne. Everyone knew him as Butch. I knew him as Pap Butch or Pap Cliff.”
“Alot of people really, really did care for Butch. And I know deep down inside me, I’m going to miss him dearly a lot.”
Wanting to lend a hand, Bender says he immediately went into action. He says that Butch did not have insurance, leaving his grieving family with an overwhelming financial burden between funeral costs and property cleanup.
In response, Bender quickly made a post to Facebook asking community members to make a donation to the family.