Fire victimizes family a second time

Jeff Radle was finishing up his first day at his new job when he got the call that his Chippewa Falls house was on fire.

His pregnant wife, Amanda, was out with the couple's 14-month-old child to pick up her son from school.

A neighbor saw smoke coming out of the roof of the home and reported the fire at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

When firefighters arrived, they broke windows and took axes to the foundation of the home to ventilate it.

Some construction and landscape equipment speckled the back of the house, where Radle was remodeling.

He said the family moved into the Chippewa Falls home two years ago after their trailer house in Cadott caught fire.

"We've been kind of flip-flopping back and forth, trying to live here," he said.

Fourteen firefighters from the Chippewa Falls Fire Department responded to the scene and called for backup from the Chippewa Fire District for an additional engine and personnel. No responders were injured.

Fire Chief Mike Hepfler said no pets were in the home at the time of the fire; the family dog was already outside.

Amanda Radle declined to comment, but tearfully thanked the fire department for grabbing her laptop that had family pictures on it.

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Fire victimizes family a second time