Community, daycare parents help Strehle after fire damages Rushmore home
It will take a while to get everything cleaned up, but life will begin to have some normalcy again come Monday, when
Fire broke out in the upstairs of the Strehle home at about
When the smoke alarm sounded, followed by the loud bang of a window breaking out, Strehle grabbed her cell phone and dialed the
Strehle said just as she got the first three children outside, the fire trucks pulled up and firefighters rushed inside to get the two toddlers from their Pack 'n Plays. Once Strehle had all of the children accounted for, they were ushered into an awaiting rescue vehicle, where the kids watched in awe as the firefighters worked around them.
"I'm so thankful for my smoke alarms," said Strehle this week.
She is equally thankful for the state-mandated monthly fire safety trainings she does with her daycare kids. They knew exactly what to do.
"They were so brave, my two little preschoolers," Strehle said. "They just got up right away and walked out with me. I tried to keep everything calm. I was very proud of them.
"They thought it was a great adventure," she added. "They thought those firemen were the coolest people around."
As firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, which started and was mostly contained on the second floor of the home, Strehle began calling parents and grandparents of her daycare kids to alert them of the fire and ask that they come to get their children.
One of the grandmothers first on the scene was
Hours after the fire, Gruis asked the
"They said they absolutely did not want to lose another daycare in
Within 24 hours of the fire, Strehle was granted a variance through
What happened next was a bit overwhelming for Strehle given everything she'd already been through. Her daycare families gathered everything she'd need to restart her business, from Pack 'n Plays and sleeping bags to high chairs, a couch, pillows, story books, toys, games, dishes, potty chairs, a rocking chair and a television. They even donated a couple of toy fire trucks, which Strehle anticipates will be popular with the children after experiencing a house fire firsthand.
"It was just fantastic," Strehle said of the donations. "I have just wonderful families."
Grandparents, great-grandparents, other relatives and the other daycare in
"It really put a bind on everybody," Strehle said, appreciative to everyone who changed their schedule to be able to watch the children.
She will be happy when they are all together again Monday.
As the daycare reopens, Strehle said work continues on cleaning and repairs inside the house. Their insurance company provided two trucks that were filled with items from the home to be professionally cleaned, from draperies and lamp shades to clothing and several daycare items. The items are expected to be returned in about a month.
"They put a rush order on some of the clothing," Strehle said.
The fire was determined to have started with an extension cord in an upstairs room. An empty gun case had inadvertently been set on top of the cord and there was enough pressure to cause a spark, Strehle said. The room will need to be totally gutted and redone.
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