Pastor among 6 dead in Juneau Co. fire ran back inside to save grandchildren, friend says

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- Six family members died Sunday in an early morning fire in Juneau County, and several have connections to Northeast Wisconsin.

The victims included two children from Green Bay -- sisters Lena and Merci Henselin. FOX 11 learned their aunt, Lydia Witte, who also lived in Green Bay, died too.

"This is just very unfortunate," said Ken Zielinski. He lives next door to the vacation rental property where the fatal fire in Necedah broke out.

According to Zielinksi, "We heard kids playing all day in the pool next door and it's too bad, too bad."

The fire claimed the lives of six people, all from the same extended family with ties to Northeast Wisconsin.

"It's such a tremendous loss, that many deaths within the same family," said Pastor Larry Schlomer. He was longtime friends with Pastor Steve Witte, the patriarch of the family, who was killed in the fire.

Sclomer said Witte was the lead of WELS Asia Missions Team. He was a family man who, along with his wife, raised their three daughters in the Green Bay area. was home on furlough.

"He had actually made it out of the house and found out that two of his granddaughters were still inside and [he] went back in to see if he could save them, and unfortunately did not make it," added Schlomer.

Two of Witte's three daughters, along with three of his granddaughters, died in the fire, Witte's daughter, Charis Kuehl was killed. So was her 5-year old daughter, Stella.

According to a GoFundMe site, the Kuehl family was in the process of moving to Minnesota as part of a new assignment at a Lutheran high school. The GoFundMe says, "The list of endings and beginnings goes on and on. Now they do this without Charis and Stella."

Pastor Witte's daughter, Lydia Witte, also died in the fire. FOX 11 learned she worked for the Oneida Nation.

In a statement about her passing, Oneida Nation said,

Lydia was a staff attorney of the Nation and a strong ally who represented the interests of the Nation, its families, and its children. There are no words to adequately convey how much Lydia's colleagues will miss her. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Lydia's family and loved ones.

Sisters Lena and Merci Henselin from Green Bay also died in the fire. Their parents, Karl and Hannah Henselin, Steve Witte's only surviving daughter, are partners of St. Mark Ministries, with locations in De Pere and Green Bay.

St. Mark took to it social media pages asking for privacy for the Henselin family.

That our God is good, is not in doubt. But at moments like this it is difficult to understand the ways of God. Our hearts grieve for the Henselins even while we hold on to resurrection hope. We pray that Jesus might come quickly to usher in his New Heavens and New Earth.

Funeral plans for the six victims aren't finalized, but Larry Schlomer seems to think they will take place in Green Bay.

Fundraising pages have been set up for both the Kuehl and Henselin families.