Family displaced by house fire feels community support

They both have spent much of their lives helping others.

So when Bubba Blume and his wife, Sara Mattson-Blume, saw their house go up in flames, the Shawano County couple found plenty of others eager to help them.

From the firefighters who battled the blaze to friends who organized fundraising benefits, the Blumes discovered that no personal tragedy is insurmountable when an entire community has your back.

As devastating as the July 8 fire was, the overwhelming kindness of both friends and strangers has given the young couple strength to recover.

“When you have that much support,” Sara said, “you can’t possibly do anything but move forward in a positive way.”

The couple was at home preparing dinner July 8 when a grease fire broke out in the kitchen of the two-story house where they have lived since 2009 on East Chic-a-watha Circle in the town of Wescott, along the northern shore of Shawano Lake.

Bubba tried dousing the fire himself, but his thoughts quickly turned to a disabled man who lives with the Blumes through an adult family foster care program. By the time the family was safely outside, the fire had spread and was raging out of control.

Dispatch records show that the Shawano Area Fire Department responded to the scene about 6 p.m. and fought for more than an hour to limit the damage.

Bubba and Sara expressed deep gratitude to the firefighters who tried in vain to save the house. The upper floor was destroyed, and the lower-level walkout basement sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

Of all the personal property that was reduced to rubble and ash, Bubba was most upset about losing an American flag that was draped over his great-grandfather’s casket when the Spanish-American war veteran died in the 1970s.

“It’s the only thing I cared about,” he said. “I cannot replace that.”

Himself a veteran, Bubba works as a photographer and donates his talents to many good causes in the area. Sara is a teacher at the Menominee Indian Middle School in Neopit. Both have supported many activities of the Menominee Indian Tribe.

Although they had insurance on their home, the Blumes face many financial obstacles and uncertainties as they try to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives.

They are not facing those challenges alone.

Sara’s father, Dan Mattson, of Marshfield, said the couple is not surprisingly finding much assistance, after both of them have selflessly reached out to others over the years.

“When you’re good people and help people, they help you,” he said.

The American Red Cross of Northeast Wisconsin responded immediately with financial assistance that included temporary housing in a Shawano hotel.

Then an old Army buddy in Minnesota heard that Bubba and his family were in trouble, so the friend set up an account on the website www.gofundme.com. As of Thursday, the fund had amassed more than $6,000 in donations.

One donor contributing to the effort was J.P. Kastner, whose wife went to college with Bubba at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The two couples have since become good friends, and Kastner has been impressed that Bubba is a veteran who gives foster care to disabled adults and also uses his photography skills to assist good causes.

“He fundamentally has a heart of gold,” Kastner said.

Sara’s deep connections to the Menominee tribe prompted tribal members to reach out with assistance, too. Co-workers at the middle school joined with others to conduct a community food sale in Keshena, raising more than $500 to benefit the Blume family.

Loretta Menchaca, one of the event’s organizers, said many customers knew Bubba or Sara and were happy to support a couple who has meant so much to Menominee members.

“It just kind of hit close to home,” Menchaca said of the fire. “They’re quite amazing people. It was our chance to return a favor.”