Advertisement They managed to break a downstairs window, crawl out on a narrow ledge, with only flames lighting their way, and still maintain their balance long enough to avoid falling 10 feet onto a concrete slab below.
The Greendeers had returned home at about 11 p.m. on March 7, after attending a meeting in Viroqua. They both commented on the sheer stillness of the brisk night and the glisten of the stars above.
Below-zero temperatures forced the mother and daughter duo to sleep near a wood stove in the living room to stay warm. They opened up a futon, piled on the blankets and topped the bedding off with a fur coat Taryn had received from her grandmother.
In the early morning hours, Stella woke up to a crackling noise and Taryn saw flames coming from the end of the house.
The Greendeers left the house through a broken window, which left Stella’s arm in need of stitches and Taryn's hands gashed and foot injured from broken glass and burning plastic which she stepped on. After escaping the house they jumped in their truck, which was only a few feet from the flaming structure, and drove to a neighbor’s house to call for help.
“I couldn’t get to our phone, the smoke was too dense and the flames kept driving me back,” Taryn said. “When we got out of the house we drove to a neighbor's and they weren’t home. It was such a helpless feeling, but we headed further down the road and found another neighbor to call for help.”
The Greendeer blaze is believed be have been electrical, although the fire remains under investigation. The house was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. La Farge was initially paged out for the fire, although the location of the blaze was located in the Cashton fire district.
“Mutual aid prevailed and together our departments made the best of a tough situation,” Cashton Fire Chief Dennis Dickman said. “Our main objective at any fire is to get it out as quickly as possible.”
Mutual aid from the Viola, Ontario and Westby-Christiana fire departments helped at the scene.
While they have lost their possessions, as the house was gutted by the fire, Taryn but a positive twist on the circumstance.
“It was like a moment of lost innocence,” she said. “It doesn’t seem real that it’s all gone, yet I know we’ll be okay. It’s just another new beginning.”
The Greendeers have received help from the community and the American Red Cross. They were interviewed at the hotel room which they are staying in until they figure out what’s next for them.
People wishing to help the Greendeers can drop donations off at the Bethel Butikk in Westby in Taryn and Stella’s name. Items the Greendeers do not need will be donated to the Butikk. Items suggested for the family include school supplies for Stella, a sixth-grader at Westby Middle School, including pens, pencils, notebooks and a backpack. Taryn is in need of women’s size 9-10 boots, a longer style extra-large coat and flowing skirts, with elastic waists in large or extra-large. Bedding, comforters and cast iron cookware would also be appreciated.
A special request was made for a seamstress to contact the Greendeers, who might be able to sew a figure skating costume for Stella, who is a member of the Seven Rivers Skating Club and has number of performances the end of the March.
“Everything starts with a dream and mine is that no one has to suffer through this type of devastation, but that if they do I hope they live in an area where community support is as wonderful as it is here,” Taryn said.
Taryn is originally from California. She has a history in Hollywood, as her father was actor Tyrone Power and her mother actress Linda Christian. Taryn also acted in the 1970s and 1980s and in the 1970s appeared on both The Mike Douglas Show and The Merv Griffin Show.
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