After U-Haul fire devastation, community responds

MARQUETTE — ABC 10 spoke with the victims of the U-Haul truck fire Wednesday night.

The family was moving from Iron River to Bowling Green, Ohio and planned to stop in Marquette for the night. When they arrived at the Days Inn, Dennis Cheney was sent outside to go get his wife’s food. That’s when he noticed steam coming off of the U-Haul.

“I just thought maybe it was a heat/cold steam. Further investigation, I go and ask my son for the back key and I open it up and that’s when a cloud of smoke comes out,” said Cheney.

Cheney said flames then engulfed the truck, destroying the truck and all the belongings inside, from appliances to children’s clothes to family memorabilia. A comment on the ABC 10 Facebook page and a post on All Seasons Recreation’s page called for donations for the family that lost everything.

The community pitched in to give diapers, pajamas and other belongings to All Seasons Recreation, which were then hand-delivered to the family. Days Inn even paid for the family’s stay.

“It was a total, total devastation. I mean, I could stand here and cry,” he said. “This city has been great.”

The family did have moving insurance, but Cheney said they now have to play the waiting game. He said they hope to go to Bowling Green tomorrow or the following day to start rebuilding the kid’s lives as best they can.