Fundraising site set up for fire victim
A GoFundMe.com website has been set up for a Walker Township man who lost his mobile home during a fire earlier this week.
The fundraising page has been set up for Mark Scheitrum, 30, who lost his mobile home at 507 Laurel Lane to a disastrous fire Monday morning.Ruled accidental, the fire was reported at 5:20 a.m. State police fire marshal trooper Joseph W. Hall of the Frackville barracks said the home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene.Hall said the fire originated in a rear room addition to the mobile home.The cause was an overheated wood stove/stove pipe being used as a supplemental heat source, he said.No one was reportedly injured in the blaze.Walker Township Fire Company was assisted by surrounding fire companies.The page was set up on Monday."Early morning wood stove fire accident claimed my home and everything I own, nearly everything is destroyed," Scheitrum said. "I am sifting through the devastation and beginning the process of cleaning up the debris and salvaging anything left."Scheitrum added, "Any assistance and prayer is truly appreciated in this tumultuous time I as pick up the pieces of my life to begin anew.""I will be rebuilding a new home, for which any funds will be allocated toward helping the process," he said. "I have a long road ahead of me, but I've found that it is in these moments in which we find ourselves truly tested. Through our various trials, we find out what we're made of and what we really stand for."Scheitrum said he finds himself "truly blessed and thankful to be alive in the position to take this tragedy and turn this moment into opportunity.""This region was built on the backs of men who know all too well what strife and struggle mean to represent what people in our area are made of, and how the community pulls together in times when our neighbors are in need," he said. "I'm reminded of an old proverb that states, "When the hammer strikes, it shatters glass but strengthens steel."The goal is to raise $2,000 through the website.Donations may be made by going to