Community rallies around family who lost home in fire
A Holton family is receiving an outpouring of support from the Holton community after the family lost its home in a Thursday, Jan. 29 fire, it has been reported.
The home of Sam and Emmy Tanking and their family was declared a total loss by Holton Fire Chief Scott Baum, who said the fire at the Tanking residence northwest of Holton was reported at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and was brought under control in about 45 minutes.
But the loss of the Tanking family home has prompted their fellow Holton school district employees — Sam is the district’s maintenance director, Emmy is a kindergarten teacher and a middle school volleyball coach and both are 2014 graduates of Holton High School — and others in the Holton community to reach out and help the Tankings, who have two daughters and are expecting the arrival of twins this month.
According to Baum, firefighters arrived at the Tanking home to find it “fully engulfed” and firefighting personnel from Holton, Circleville and Denison, along with mutual aid from fire departments in Mayetta and Soldier, spent four hours clearing the scene of the fire. Baum said the fire’s origin “did not look suspicious in nature.”
Sam Tanking later reported that the fire, which also resulted in the loss of three family pets, may have originated from a wood stove in the home.
In the wake of the fire, Baum noted that there has been “an outpouring of help” pledged toward the Tanking family, with an emergency fund established at Denison State Bank, fund-raising activities in the Holton school district and the Jackson County Community Foundation’s Love Jackson County Disaster Relief Fund offering to help the family.
Holton USD 336 Superintendent Trevor Ashcraft said all attendees at last Friday’s Holton High School basketball games against Horton were allowed free admission, with free-will donation jars available “for those who wish to contribute” to the Tankings.
The HHS volleyball team has also scheduled a “walking taco” dinner from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, during the Wildcats’ home basketball games against Osage City. Also, Ashcraft said free-will donation jars will be available at Holton’s schools during parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 11 and 12.
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