Fundraiser set for Girard explosion victims

GIRARD — It has been little more than a week since Denise Seitz and her family lost everything they own in a fire touched off by a gas explosion, but members of the community are doing everything they can to get the family back on track.

Seitz lived in a home in a quiet neighborhood on Washington Avenue until Sept. 18. On that day she, along with her mother and two children, were pulled from the house as it began to burn to the ground.

The family is safe and staying with family members but must now rebuild their lives.

Al Sterchi, owner of GTA Karate and instructor to the Seitz children, said helping the family rebuild should be a community effort. Sterchi and other supporters have spent the last week organizing a community sale with all proceeds going to the family.

“Part of our teaching is that martial arts do not hurt people, but instead help people, so when we learned that they lost everything and have nothing, we decided we had to do something,” Sterchi said.

Read the complete story in Saturday's Vindy or on Vindy.com.