After the Fire: The Grossnickle Family Recovering Thanks to Family, Friends, and Faith

By: Brittany Bevis

Charred logs scattered among mounds of ash and soot is all that remains of the Grossnickle family’s two-story log home that was completely destroyed in a fire a little over two weeks ago, on August 5th, 2015. But rising high above the rubble, two burned beams resting in the shape of a cross serve as a visceral reminder of how faith, family, and friends will carry them through this difficult time.

Sadly, the sudden fire reduced the Grossnickle family home to ruins. Thankfully, the family, three cats, horses, donkey, and three dogs, including a nine-week-old Corgi puppy, escaped the blaze unharmed. Still, items like Lori Grossnickle’s mother’s wedding dress and old family photos from Czechoslovakia, that had recently been moved over from her father’s house after he passed away, were lost in the fire.

Daughter Katie Grossnickle says the cause of the fire is still undetermined and will be very difficult to pinpoint due to the extreme damage it caused. However, it’s believed to have been the result of a power surge following a recent storm in the Cedar, Michigan area. According to the local Traverse City Record- Eagle, the fire department used 72,000 gallons of water, twice the amount used on a normal house fire, to quench the flames.

“The remaining bits of the house have been removed, and my mom plans on rebuilding right there,” Katie says. “The foundation is a loss as well, so she will be starting from scratch. Very few things were found: a few charred photos, papers, and my parent’s wedding album.”

After sifting through the debris recently, the family found a small memento that Katie describes as a “light at the end of the tunnel.”

“My mom’s dad passed away last year, and she went to Cleveland at the end of July to get a few last things out of his house,” she says. “A garnet ring inlayed with diamonds was found in my grandpa’s safe that had my mom’s name on it. She had never seen the ring in her life. She just brought the safe home with her.”

“That ring was in a velvet case that’s completely charred and hardly recognizable. The ring is 100% intact just a little dirty! It’s getting resized now.”

Thanks to the quick work of the local Cedar Fire Department, the fire was extinguished before it spread to the property’s barn that housed the family’s horses and donkey. “The barn on her property is safe and the horses are still there. They aren’t going anywhere,” Katie says.

The entire Grossnickle family would like to thank their friends in the horse show world for the outpouring of love and support they have received over the past two weeks. “The horse show world has once again been amazing!” Katie says.

The Equine Chronicle sends our thoughts and prayers to the Grossnickle family during this difficult time.