Fire Destroys Shumway Home

Fire destroyed a home in Shumway Wednesday night.

Shumway firefighters were called at 8:01pm of the fire at 202 North 1st Street, the home of Mickey and Eugina Johnson.  The Johnsons have three children, ages 11 to four.  The structure is owned by Clarence Bock of Shumway.

Some of the Johnson children ran across the street to a neighbor's house and asked for them to phone authorities about the fire.

Shumway Fire Battalion Chief Johnathon Paholke said fire had spread into five rooms in the small single-family home when firefighters reached the scene.

No one was injured in the fire, although a dog in the house died.  Another dog was rescued, though, with firefighters using a recently-acquired doggie oxygen mask to assist the animal.

Authorities believe a space heater in a small office area of the home was the cause of the fire.  An Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office representative met at the scene with Shumway firefighters Thursday morning to help determine the cause of the fire.

Fire crews from Watson, Tri-County at Beecher City, and Effingham assisted Shumway firefighters at the scene.  Firefighters cleared the scene about midnight. 

The Effingham County American Red Cross chapter assisted the Johnsons with emergency needs, but the family lost all of its possessions in the fire.  A fund has been established at Crossroads Bank to allow people to contribute funds to assist the family.