Altona family loses home to fire

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

October 11, 2008

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG The Press Republican Sat Oct 11, 2008, 04:45 AM EDT

ALTONA -- Wallace Wood was at his Devils Den Road home Thursday evening when he heard his neighbor's home was on fire.

"My son was coming from camp on his four-wheeler and he saw it and called 911," the Altona man said Friday afternoon.

"We could see it from the house."

Soon after the 7:45 p.m. call, crews from Altona, Mooers and Rescue Hose 5 descended on the home for a two-hour battle to extinguish the flames and investigate the blaze.

Despite their efforts, the home was destroyed by the fire, leaving behind only charred remnants of the rural residence.

The blaze left David and Barbara Hemingway and their three daughters left homeless. They lost all their personal belongings.

Red Cross officials said they were meeting with the displaced family Friday afternoon to see if they needed any assistance, but believed the family would be staying with relatives as they recover from the blaze.

The Altona fire spokesman did not return a call and no additional information about the blaze was available Friday.

If anyone would like to help, the family is in need of all household furnishings and clothing.

avanvalkenburg

@pressrepublican.com