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On Sunday, Sept. 18, the Madison County home of Edwin and Sandy Bochnia caught fire after a Polaris Ranger, that had been on a battery charger, experienced an electrical short. The home experienced substantial damage before firefighters were able to completely douse out the fire by 11:30 p.m. Currently, a GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with repairs.
Ashley Hunter
Greene Publishing, Inc.
A late night fire on Shrine Club Rd., northeast of the City of Madison, caused the home of Edwin and Sandy Bochnia to sustain costly fire and smoke damage on Sunday, Sept. 18.
According to Madison Fire Rescue's Chief Bruce Jordan, the fire is suspected to have been caused by a Polaris Ranger that had been placed on a battery charger through the night. Either, the battery or the battery charger, shorted out electrically, causing a fire.
The fire was called in at approximately 9:14 p.m., and while it was controlled within 30 minutes, it was close to midnight before the fire was completely put out by firefighters.
The house, was fairly old, and has been in the Bochnia family's name for many generations.
While the fire was limited to the back half of the house that was nearest the charging Polaris, the front of the house also sustained smoke damage. The damaged portion of the house was, however, extensive. The kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a pantry/laundry room were all fairly destroyed by the fire. In addition, there is smoke, water and internal wiring damage through-out the house.
Thankfully, no one was injured.
In total, Chief Jordan reports that he believes the homeowners will be looking more than $50,000 in damages.
Madison Fire Rescue was assisted by the Pinetta Volunteer Fire Department, Lee Volunteer Fire Department, Greenville Volunteer Fire Department, and Hamburg Volunteer Fire Department. The Florida State Fire Marshall was not called in to investigate the cause of the fire, as the responding fire departments felt confident in determining the cause of the fire.
The homeowner also did not request the assistance of the American Red Cross.
The Bochnia home was uninsured, and as such, they are currently facing costly repairs to restore and rebuild the damaged portions of their home.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family afford the costly repairs that they will be undertaking in the future. The goal for the fundraiser is $20,000. Those interested in donating may do so by visiting www.gofundme.com/2ptpn6s.
Another fundraiser that is being held in supportive of the Bochnia family is a fish fry that is scheduled to take place on Friday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. An assortment of saltwater and freshwater fish will be dished up at the fundraiser. The event will take place at the Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church, located on Rocky Ford Rd., and the community is invited to come out and support Edwin and Sandy Bochnia.