Published: December 27, 2002

By T.L. Petersen

Observer Staff Writer

IMBLER — A house fire has left the Onjukka family of Imbler temporarily homeless, but friends and neighbors are stepping up to help Sam, Wendy and their two teenage daughters.

The family had left to visit relatives in the Redmond area before the fire was spotted early Thursday morning by a neighbor, said David Riley, a spokesman for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where the Onjukkas attend.

Riley said Thursday the family was still traveling during the morning when a family friend was able to reach them by cell phone to notify them of the fire.

When they received the call, Riley said the family planned to immediately turn around and return to Imbler.

Sam Onjukka is a scientist based at Eastern Oregon University. Wendy Onjukka is a pre-school teacher at the Heidi Ho Preschool and Kindergarten in La Grande.

Union County's emergency dispatch center received the first call of the fire at 7:19 a.m. from a neighbor, who reported seeing smoke and flames near the home's eaves.

By the time Imbler and La Grande Rural volunteer firefighters arrived at the scene, near Highway 82 and Striker Lane, the fire already had opened parts of the ceiling.

"The wind was howling out there," said Jim Voelz of the La Grande rural fire department. He thought that once the fire was exposed to the wind, it spread rapidly through the remaining portions of the double-wide modular home.

Firefighters have suspicions about what part of the house was first involved, but a final report will be completed when a state fire marshal from either Pendleton or Ontario is able to finish an investigation.

Meanwhile, members of the Onjukkas' church and other friends are coordinating efforts to help the family.

A trust fund was set up Thursday to assist the family. Donations can be sent to the Onjukkas in care of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, P.O. Box 1525, La Grande 97850. The church asks that donations be marked as "love offerings."

Gloria McCarthy has agreed to let her home be used as a collection-point for donations of household goods for the Onjukkas. McCarthy can be reached at 963-8125, or at 1403 Cris Court in La Grande.

Several members of the church, Riley added, have also offered space in their homes for the family to stay until other arrangements are made.

An account also has been set up at US Bank to assist the Onjukkas, said Dixie Stonebreaker, a family friend. Donations should be clearly marked for the family.