Wis. Residents Mourn Loss of Historic Church to Fire

Jan. 14--At night, Jim and Dionne Beyrer could see the lit-up cross on St. John's Lutheran Church from their rural Colfax home.

Money for the cross came from the estate of Jim Beyrer's grandparents. The couple has designs for a new house incorporating a view of the small church and its shining cross.

But a fire Saturday night destroyed the nearly 100-year-old Dunn County church, about 10 miles north of Colfax on Highway W in the town of Grant.

"It's truly a loss to our neighborhood," Jim Beyrer said.

The cause of the fire, first reported by a passerby at 9:14 p.m. Saturday, is undetermined, Colfax Fire Chief Don Logslett said Sunday.

The blaze remains under investigation by the state fire marshal and a Dunn County Sheriff's Department fire investigating team, he said.

The empty structure was a total loss. No damage estimate is available.

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregation, led by Pastor John Toppe, has about 60 members. Toppe also serves St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ridgeland.

"It definitely was a shock," Toppe said.

St. John's members, many of whom have longtime family ties to the church, are grieving, he said.

Next year members would have celebrated the building's 100th anniversary. They just finished a project to expand the entryway and install a lift for handicap accessibility.

On Sunday, St. John's members worshipped at St. Paul's church in Ridgeland.

Other churches have offered to share their buildings and other sites are available short-term, Toppe said.

"I think there is a feeling of the congregation wanting to continue there if possible," he said, but he added that the future is uncertain at this point.

St. John's and St. Paul's members were meeting Sunday night to discuss the situation.

Tragedies make people rely on God a bit more, Toppe said. "We understand that the Lord makes all things work to the good, and that this too can be used to the benefit of the congregation, and that there's a reason for hope going forward and not despair."

Nearly 40 firefighters responded to the fire. The church was fully engulfed when they arrived.

Several tankers were needed because of scarce water supplies in the rural area, Logslett said. Assistance was requested from Boyceville, Ridgeland, Elk Mound, Sand Creek, Menomonie and Prairie Farm fire departments and Colfax Emergency Medical Service.

Firefighters remained at the scene until early morning. It was "very cold," Logslett said, and firefighters were rotated because of the weather.

Beyrer, along with neighbors Alicia and Dave Gaunky, were among the first to arrive. The Gaunkys had watched the Green Bay Packers game at the Beyrers' home but left early because it was getting late for their young daughter, Alexia, 1.

As they pulled into their driveway about two miles from St. John's shortly after 9 p.m., they saw the fire, called 911 and alerted the Beyrers, Alicia Gaunky said. They drove to the church to find flames shooting out the windows.

Another neighbor reported hearing a "boom sound" about 9 p.m. "They figured ice was falling off the roof," she said.

Beyrer described the church as engulfed in a "big yellow ball of flame." He heard the steeple crack and saw it fall into the flames.

He described the church as "truly a landmark of the community."

Although not a member, Beyrer has a family history with St. John's. His mother, grandparents and other relatives are buried in the church's cemetery.

"I really hope they rebuild it and keep the history there. It will really be sad if they don't," he said.

Wachter can be reached at 830-5828, 800-236-7077 or [email protected].

Copyright 2013 - The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.