Rudy, Holly Ahlbrecht working to recover from Saturday night’s blaze
A pair of Mountain Lake natives and their children are working to recover after a fire completely destroyed their home near Smiths Mill (an unincorporated community in Blue Earth and Waseca Counties located near Janesville) on Saturday night, February 6.
Rudy and Holly (Dodge) Ahlbrecht, of Janesville, along with children, seven-year-old Ella and five-year-old Sully, are without their home and the reality of the loss is now beginning to sink in. According to Holly, “It was a very fast-moving fire, blazing through our house in minutes. Luckily, none of us were home, and we are all safe, but the house and everything in it is completely gone, including our two cats. We have been so overwhelmed with graciousness, giving, love and kindness. We’re just trying to get our heads straight.”
That morning, Holly participated in the St. Peter Polar Plunge and then shared some time with friends. Meanwhile, Rudy spent the day running errands. When he returned home at approximately 7 p.m., he saw the family’s two-story home engulfed in flames.
Fortunately, like often happens, when tragedy strikes – people reach out.
Jefferson Elementary has stepped forward with school supplies for the Ahlbrecht children. Already, approximatley $1,500 has been raised on top of the donations received from Holly’s teammates on the Mankato Area Derby Girls.
The fire has been ruled accidental, but the cause is still under investigation.
Holly is an artist and designer at Hollywould Designs and Marketing Coordinator at Rooms and Rest Furniture and Mattress, while Rudy works at All-American Foods.
The couple’s parents still live in Mountain Lake – David Dodge and Dave and Karen Ahlbrecht.
Donations can be made to the family at the GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/wenmtc9g.
