Work day planned Saturday at site of barn fire in Lima Township
The Welshans family in front of the centennial barn that burned down Wednesday at their Lima Township farm.
Courtesy photo
The Welshans family is planning a work day Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. at their Lima Township farm where a fire destroyed a large centennial barn on Wednesday, killing hundreds of animals.
The family has a scrap roll-off container and a trash roll-off container coming, Robin Welshans said. She cautioned family, friends and interested volunteers that the ground at the farm is muddy and this is not the weekend for young children to help with the cleanup effort.
Douglas and Robin Welshans, and their daughters Bailey, 11, and Madison, 10, and Shelby, 21, live on the farm that’s been in the family for nearly 150 years. The sisters are involved in Washtenaw County 4-H.
Washtenaw County 4-H plans to assist in an upcoming work day. “We were saddened to hear the news of the devastating barn fire at the Welshans’ family farm on Wednesday,” the 4-H office information states. “The Welshans have been, and continue to be, an active 4-H family.”
Rain is in the forecast for Saturday, but Welshans is hoping for the best. She asks that people wear boots and wear gloves while helping in the cleanup effort.
The family's cutting torches were lost in the fire, so they're hoping someone will be able to bring some, she said.
The fire was reported around 11 a.m. and was fueled by winds. About 40 firefighters from Chelsea, Dexter, Scio Township, Manchester and Saline battled the blaze, which took about an hour to get under control, the cause of which will remain undetermined.
Sister-in-law Krissa Welshans said the family will plan Saturday work bees until the site is cleaned-up.
“The rabbit community has been very supportive and will set the girls up with the (rabbit) breeds that they had,” Krissa said, adding that the next step will be replacing the rabbit equipment and farm tools that were lost. A list of immediate needs can be found at welshansfamilybenefit.com.
Several funds have been set up at local banks to assist the family in rebuilding the barn, which was not insured because of its age, and to help replace the estimated $50,000 in animals and equipment lost in the fire.
A bank account has been set up in Robin Welshans' name at University of Michigan Credit Union, 4440 Jackson Road, and donations can be sent to the Welshans Family, P.O. Box 276, Dexter, MI 48130. In addition, a fund has been set up at Chelsea State Bank and there is a Paypal account.
Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Chelsea stories, visit our Chelsea page.
Comments
Carole
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 12:49 p.m.
Best wishes and really very sorry for your loss. Sounds like a barn raising to me.
Elaine F. Owsley
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : noon
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say "the barn COULD NOT be insured because of its age". It wasn't that they wouldn't have, the insurance carriers will not insure barns that old.
jns131
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 2:42 p.m.
Anything can be insured. Just got to find the right insurance. Good luck with the rebuilding.
mkm17
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 12:10 a.m.
What a great idea to set up a Facebook page! Our family will be making a donation to this worthy cause. I have one question. It's a sincere question, not meant as a disparaging remark or to start an argument. Will the donated equipment and animals be insured? My understanding is that the barn itself was not able to be insured because its age made it a poor risk. A new barn would be able to be insured, correct? Thanks very much.
Krissa Welshans
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 11:17 p.m.
Thank you for your continued coverage of this, Lisa. We really appreciate it. Regular updates can be found at www.facebook.com/welshansfamilybenefit.