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.
He says that Fire Chief Bobby Dunlap has always been a strong supporter, and he wanted to return the favor
“He’ll bend over backwards for anyone. And I truly believe he probably got that from his father. Bobby has been a big supporter of mine. So just to see his family be heartbroken like that and grieving really touched a lot of us and was really upsetting for somebody who is so good to the community in the surrounding area.”
Bender says that within just a day, he raised nearly $3000. Noah Dunlap says that his family is shocked and overwhelmed with the public response.
“Just seeing that the community and surrounding communities are focusing in on here at the community of Winburne, especially the fire company itself, through the tough time that we’re going through, really, really shows that there is support out there and it’s just not a small world that you think it is.”