By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Fire claimed an Onalaska home yesterday, the same residence where 58-year-old Terry Vance was slain in early March.
Nobody was injured and no one was home at the time, but the single-wide mobile home is a total loss, according to Lewis County FIre District 1 Chief Mark Conner.
Crews called to the 400 block of Pennel Avenue at about 4 p.m. found the interior fully involved and flames beginning to breach the roof, Conner said.
While they arrived within four minutes of the call, it was a challenge to put out because of a separate roof built above the structure, according to Fire Investigator Derrick Paul.
Members of Lewis County Fire Districts 6 and 5 assisted in battling the blaze.
The family had been gone for a few hours and returned home to see smoke, Paul said. They tried to open a door to get inside to rescue their pets, but were unable to do so because of the heat and smoke, he said.
Bonnie Vance raised her family at the home across from the ball field. Her 11-year-old grandson lived with her, and her grown son resided in a trailer parked on the property. It was not damaged, according to Conner.
Until March 7, another grown son Terry Vance and his 25-year-old son resided there as well. That’s when deputies called to the mobile home found the father dead from multiple knife wounds and arrested Joshua Vance for murder.
Joshua Vance remains in the Lewis County Jail, awaiting an October trial.
Conner said four dogs and a cat perished in yesterday’s fire.
The Red Cross was summoned to help the family with clothing and a place to stay, he said.
Investigator Paul said he narrowed the origin of the blaze to a hallway and is returning today to look at all the possible heat sources.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter