KENOSHA COUNTY -- A community is rallying behind a family after a fire broke out at their farm.
The fire happened five days ago, at the Sunnyview Dairy Farm in Wheatland. At least a dozen chickens and a calf died during the blaze.
Rachael Crane tells TODAY’S TMJ4 her family is in the process of replacing what was lost.
“This farm has been in our family for 110 years," Crane said. "My great-grandfather, Ben, and his wife Elizabeth purchased the farm in 1908. They’ll be a lot of, a lot of decisions to make.”
Crane says the fire started in the corner of their burned down two-story barn, corn was being crushed to feed cows, they believe some powder settled on a motor and it overheated.
“You stand and you watch something like this burn to the ground, it was devastating,” Crane said.
But now the Sunnyview Dairy Farm family is trying to look forward to the future with plenty of help from others in Wheatland.
“It’s heartwarming, is the word that comes to mind,” Crane said. “We have not cooked a meal yet, people have been so kind bringing meals out to the family so we can just keep working and cleaning."
People also rushed to their property to transport close to 50 cattle to another farm. Neighbors have also been stopping by to help them feed the remaining animals.
“The Wheatland community has been absolutely amazing,” Crane added.
Depending on the weather, they're hoping to have all of this cleaned up towards the end of the week.
The community is also putting together two fundraisers for the family. A Spaghetti Dinner will be held on June 8 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Westosha Central High School. A movie night will also be held for the family on June 11 at Hanson Park in Bristol. The movie will begin at 7:30 p.m.
