Pizza Hut fundraiser set for victims of Kremlin house fire

Staff and wire report

A fundraiser is set for Thursday to help a family who lost everything in a house fire in Kremlin that left only a small pile of smoldering rubble as the remainder of their home and possessions.

In the early hours of Dec. 18, John Muller, co-owner of McNair Furniture of Rudyard, his wife, Christine, and their nephew Justin, all of Kremlin, “were shaken awake by a loud noise and heavy smoke in their home,” a release said. “They were all able to escape, but with only the clothes on their backs; they lost everything.

Firefighters were called in shortly before 2 that morning, but Kremlin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kody Peterson said the fire was well-established by the time they arrived.

 Havre Fire Department and Gildford Volunteer Fire Department were also called before 2 a.m. to help fight the fire, and a Havre ambulance responded at 3:38 a.m.

The three were treated for smoke inhalation. They have found a place to stay while they try to recover and have received some help with donations of clothing, but have a long way to go.

“They, thankfully, have (home-owner’s) … insurance, but not all of the belongings they lost are covered,” the release said.

A fundraiser to help them pay for recovering their losses will run Thursday at Pizza Hut of Havre. When people say they are donating to the Muller fundraiser, 20 percent of the purchase price of their carry-out or dine-in order “will be donated to help this wonderful family after such a devastating loss,” the release said.