Prescott Rallies For Family After Fire

PRESCOTT - Residents of Prescott are rallying behind the family that lost nearly everything this week- end in one of the town's worst structure fires in three decades.

Jason and Christine Steele and their four children were forced from their home at 410 Touchet St. on Sun- day after a fire that started in their garage spread quickly through the four-bedroom one-story structure.

Walla Walla fire districts 7 (Prescott) and 2 (Waits- burg), along with other area stations, responded to the emergency after dispatch received the call at around 10:30 a.m. Christine Steele and the children were home, but escaped without injuries, according to first responders.

About two dozen fire- fighters worked three-and-a- half hours to contain the fire, which had already spread to the main house by the time their arrived on the scene, Prescott Fire Chief Tim Mayberry said.

Although some of the bedrooms furthest from the garage were relatively unscathed, half the house, including the utility room, living room and kitchen was a total loss after part of the ceiling collapsed, he said. The cause is under inves- tigation by the insurance company for the landlord, Steele's employer, Brown & Ford Ranch. Fire officials suspect it to be electrical, the Prescott chief said.

Structure fires in Prescott, a town with a population of about 325, are extremely rare, said Mayberry, a 30- year veteran of District 7 who couldn't even recall a house fire that displaced its residents.

A former unoccupied junk store between the Tuxe- do and the Lions Club build- ing on D Street burned down six years ago and an empty home in town was destroyed in a fire about 12 years ago, Mayberry said. Arson was suspected in both cases, but not in the Touchet Street fire, he said.

The Touchet Street house fire is the first in Mayberry's recollection that rendered its occupants homeless. "They pretty much lost everything," he said.

Steele, said to be in his early '30s, works as a ranch hand for Brown & Ford, a wheat grower south of Prescott, which is helping the family with accommoda- tions in town and with a col- lection of donated household items.

Although the home, which is a designated employee residence, was in- sured, the Steeles did not carry renters coverage, Scott Ford, a partner at Brown & Ford, said in an interview.

The Steele family has not been in Prescott for that long, but the community's out- pouring of support has been impressive, thanks in part to Jason Steele's own commu- nity mindedness, Ford said.

"It's been pretty amaz- ing," Ford said. "They give people the shirt off their backs, so it feels good to give back to them in a time of need. He's a hard worker."

Steele, who hails from Halfway, a small town in Baker, Ore., has worked for Brown and his father for almost two years, and has helped several Prescott households with personal projects and car repairs.

Ford and other volunteers had rounded up items from at least 15 donors in Prescott and Walla Walla by Tuesday using a rented U-Haul truck. Donors in Waitsburg and Dayton were also among the dozens of Touchet Valley residents who came forward to offer help. Ford even re- ceived a call from a donor in the Tri Cities.

He said representative of the Blue Mountain Chapter of the Red Cross showed up on Sunday and provided vouchers for the family's ba- sic needs. Meanwhile, Pastor Mike Krutsch helped spear- head local coordination of the collection efforts. Word about the tragic loss spread quickly through the Walla Walla Community Projects page on Facebook.

The Steeles are now set up with some furniture, clothes, kitchenware, bed- ding and general household goods, but can still use more in that category, along with entertainment items and toys for the kids, Ford said. They are staying with friends, but may soon move into a rental north of town, he said.

An account named "Jason Steele Donation Account" has been set up for the fam- ily at Baker Boyer Bank and would-be donors can go into any of its branches to deposit funds for the household's recovery.

For inquiries about the family's needs, Ford can be reached at 509-629-527. Donations can also be dropped off at the Prescott Commu- nity Church on S. Second Street.