Galena House Fire

An electrical short may be to blame for the Christmas fire that left one local family with just the clothes on their backs. The Goulding family awoke early Christmas Day to find smoke and flames engulfing their 2-bedroom house in Galena. Family members say they are just taking each day one at a time. The fire that took everything is proving how much community members and friends are reaching out to help in their time of need. Daughter Lisa Goulding says, "It`s really overwhelming, the people. How much they`ve come in and helped, how much help they have been, how much we`ve gotten from them. It doesn`t replace what we`ve lost, but it sure helps a lot." Firefighters are still investigating the cause of the blaze. Meanwhile, the Goulding family is staying at the Joplin Ramada Inn through the assistance of the American Red Cross. The Galena Fire Department has set up a relief fund to help the family. They are also accepting clothes to replace those that were lost in the fire. Clothes are needed in children`s sizes 6-9 months, 24 months, and size six, as well as women`s size 1X and men`s size 32 pant and large shirt. If you would like to donate, please call the Galena Fire Department at 620-783-5134. If the lines are busy, keep dialing. The fire department is receiving an overwhelming amount of phone calls. Reported by: Sarah Lonnevik