North Star Chapter disaster volunteer Terry Sluss assisted eight people that lost their rental home in a fire on Thursday in Verndale. The eight people included six children aged five to eleven years and the two parents. According to Sluss, the family wasn’t home at the time of the incident, but lost everything to the fire. Verndale firefighters, along with the Wadena Fire Department, responded to the fire at 10:30 a.m. located on 310 South Farwell St. “The clients told me that as they were returning home, they saw smoke and called 911,” Sluss said. “They were very thankful that their six children were not in the home during the fire.” Sluss met the family to evaluate their disaster-related needs along with Red Cross assistance providing them with clothing and food. The family is staying with residents while they search for a new place to live. “Some of the things people can do to prevent disasters like this are to make sure that they have smoke detectors in each sleeping area, clean dryer venting regularly and take special care with candles and smoking materials,” said North Star Chapter Community Coordinator Lynn Arlt. For more information on how to help victims of disaster call (218) 444-9490 or visit www.redcrossmn.org.
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