Wisconsin Pastor Dies in House Fire While Attempting to Save Grandchildren
A tragic house fire in Wisconsin claimed the lives of six family members, including a devoted pastor who re-entered the burning building to save his grandchildren. Pastor Steve Witte, of Green Bay's Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, died in the fire after making a heroic attempt to rescue his granddaughters.
The fire, believed to be accidental, broke out overnight at a vacation rental near the Wisconsin Dells, quickly engulfing the property in flames. Pastor Witte initially escaped safely but discovered two of his granddaughters were still inside. His longtime friend, Pastor Larry Schlomer, told WMTV, “He went back in seeing if he could save them and unfortunately did not make it.”
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and the Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church confirmed that Pastor Witte and five of his family members perished in the blaze. The other victims were identified as Lydia Witte, Charis Kuehl, Stella Kuehl, Lena Henselin, and Merci Henselin. Lydia and Charis were the pastor’s daughters, while Stella was Charis' daughter and the pastor’s granddaughter. Lena and Merci were also his granddaughters.
“By God’s grace, a number of other family members survived,” WELS President Mark Schroeder said in a statement. “The pain of losing six members of one family cannot be described with words. On behalf of our entire synod, I want to assure these families that they are in our prayers. We pray that God will remind them of his grace and promises and bring healing to them.”
Pastor Witte had served various Lutheran churches in Wisconsin and had been working overseas in Southeast Asia in recent years, according to Mike Pfeifer, a staff minister at WELS, who spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Steve and his wife, Mary, were on furlough and holding a family reunion near Necedah when the fire occurred.
“The Epistle reading for this week contained Paul’s words that he was ‘perplexed, but not in despair,’” the Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church wrote in a statement. “There are times when what God allows is perplexing.”
Pastor Schlomer recounted to WMTV that the family had gathered to enjoy some time together while Pastor Witte was back from his missionary work. “His wife, Mary, his children, those were so important,” he said. “His passion for the gospel, for the Good News about hope for eternity, is something that drove him to do everything that he did.”
The Juneau County Sheriff’s Office responded to the fire around 2:35 a.m. on Sunday, finding the house fully engulfed in flames. Several survivors were found in the driveway, who informed first responders that six people were still trapped inside. It took firefighters three hours to extinguish the blaze.
WELS Christian Aid and Relief is offering counseling to family members, church co-workers, and congregation members affected by the tragedy.
