Sauder, Ammon (fire - 1983), Clark County, Wisconsin

Bio: Sauder, Ammon (fire - 1983)

Contact: Kathleen E. Englebretson

Email: kathy@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Sauder, Lindgren

---Source: Marshfield News-Herald (21 December 1983)

WITHEE- A little girl's doll lay in the snow, charred almost black.

The remains of a desk drawer had been thrown nearby. It contained a songbook open to the hymn "My Home is Not in This World."

A school notebook was spotted on a blackened table. It contained hand-drawn pictures, one of a multi-colored candy cane.

What started out as a normal work day for Ellen and Ammon Sauder, Route 1, Withee, turned into a tragic one Tuesday when fire which swept through their home took the lives of five of their nine children.

There wasn't much that remained Tuesday afternoon in the rubble of the ice-encrusted bits and pieces of what had once been their home and possessions.

The last body, that of 10-year-old Leon, who had tried to save his infant sister, was discovered about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday.

The other children, all of whom died from smoke inhalation, were Ellen, 5, Loren, 23 months, Wilma, 5 1/2 months, and Ammon Jr., 6.

One bystander, who said he lived in Withee, remarked that he'd have a hard time living if it had happened to him.

Another said that there's no way to get those old houses warm, that people just stoke up the fire so it gets hot.. Temperatures that day were near 25 below zero.

Others stood talking quietly among them selves. One firefighter, his jacket encrusted with ice, just shook his head when he went to hook up a chain to help clear the rubble.

Everett Lindgren, Owen-Withee Fire Department chief, said the fire was a "bad one," and that it was hard on the firefighter because of the children involved.

Clark County Coroner Robert Lulloff said it was a "Very depressing situation to see a family under these circumstances." He added that this is the worst disaster involving children he has seen since he's been coroner.

Firefighters and volunteers were still working at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to clear more of the rubble. Partially burned mattresses, boards, furniture and firewood were piled into smoldering heaps.

Ice covered practically everything, from what remained of one wall of the house to nearby evergreen trees. Firefighters and other volunteers tried to keep warm in the cold temperatures by going into the barn, where there was coffee and some food provided by neighbors. Someone wondered who would milk the cows that evening.

Reporters from newspapers, television and radio stations converged on the scene, asking for details, taking photographs, taping interviews or filming the scene.

Smoke was dense most of the morning hours, and it was difficult to see more than a foot away when walking through it. The smoke finally cleared a little later in the afternoon, but there wasn't much left to do but clear the rubble and picked up what remained of pieces of a family's life.

Lindgren stressed the importance of smoke alarms. The Sauder home did not have any.

(Follow on in Same Paper)

Surnames: Sauder, Christopherson, Plautz, Barteck, Lindgren

---Source: Marshfield News-Herald (21 December 1983)

WITHEE - The phone didn't stop ringing this morning at the State Bank of Withee. Callers wanted to donate money and items to the Ammon Sauder family.

five of the nine Sauder children were killed in a fire Tuesday morning which destroyed the Sauder's two-story farm at Route 1, Withee.

The children were sleeping upstairs when the fire broke out shortly after 5 a.m.

"We're getting calls from all over, It's been fantastic,: said Marlene Christopherson, assistant vice-president at the bank. "There have been people calling from Eau Claire, Rhinelander, just all over, wanting to know what and how to donate."

Killed in the blaze were Ellen, 5, Loren, 23 months, Ammon, Jr., 6, Leon, 10 and Wilma, 5 1/2 months.

Four other Sauder children remained hospitalized. Listed in "good condition" today at Victory Memorial Hospital, Stanley, were Linda, 12, Lois, 11, and Marlene, 8. Glenn, 7 was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital, Marshfield, where he was listed in "fair condition" this morning. All four children are being treated for smoke inhalation.

Mr. and Mrs. Sauder were treated at the Stanley Hospital for frostbite, Sauder on both ears and his wife on one hand. They were then released.

Hours after the fire, one neighbor said Sauder, 37, and his wife, Ellen, 35, probably did not yet realize the severity of the blaze.

"The shock has not worn off yet,"said the man, a member of the same Mennonite religious community as the Sauders. "I think that in a couple of days, they will realize the children are gone.

The man was among a number of Mennonites who gathered at the home to help remove rubble for firefighters searching for the bodies of two of the children. The body of 10-year-old Leon was discovered about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday in the rubble of the home. Firefighters had earlier found his infant sister, Wilma. A Mennonite minister had said Leon had gone into the house to try and find the baby, and was overcome by smoke.

The other three victims were pronounced dead at Victory Memorial Hospital in Stanley. All five died of smoke inhalation.

Owen-Withee firefighters Terry Plautz and Noel Barteck went into the house and removed the five children from the burning rooms before the second story of the structure caved in.

"They were taken from the house to the barn where it was warm and firemen started cardiopulmonary resuscitation right away," said Everett Lindgren, Owen-Withee fire chief. "They kept it going and took the children to Stanley. Three firemen remained in the emergency room and kept working on them, but couldn't bring them (three of the dead children) around."

The Owen-Withee Fire Department remained at the scene for about nine hours according to Lindgren.

Lindgren said the fire started near a wood furnace in the basement and spread through the house. Clark County Sheriff David Bertz said Tuesday afternoon that the chimnet was classified as Class A, and able to handle wood fires.

It was an extremely hard house to fight a fire in because of so many partitions." Lindgren said today. "And the fire was pretty advanced by the time we got the call."

He added that the house contained "Some old type of insulation" that would smolder and burn inside the walls.

"You could put it out and a few minutes later, it's right back going again," Lindgren said. "We finally tore the walls right out."

Lindgren said cold temperatures starting at 25 degrees below zero, hampered firefighters somewhat, and a combination of smoke and steam made it hard to see. He said the house, estimated to be about 50 years old, and its contents were a total loss. No loss estimate has yet been made.

(Some edits about donations made here)

Christopherson said any types of items are needed and even some toys or bags of candy for the children's Christmas might be appreciated. She said the Saunders did not have house insurance, and have no health insurance benefits to pay for doctors' expenses.

The Sauders moved to the Withee area about five years ago from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are among a community of about 30 Mennonite families in the area.

Sauder has two brothers, one living on each side of his property, and the fire survivors will be staying with them until other arrangements are made.

Services for the children will be Saturday afternoon at the Meadowbrook Mennonite Church.