Pastor and 3 Grandchildren Among Family Members Killed in House Fire [Video]

Six people, including a 66-year-old pastor and his three young granddaughters, died after an early-morning fire broke out at their vacation rental home near the Wisconsin Dells, authorities said.

The tragedy claimed the lives of Rev. Steve Witte, his adult daughters Lydia Witte and Charis Kuehl, and his granddaughters Stella Kuehl, Lena Henselin and Merci Henselin, according to a GiveSendGo fundraiser and the family’s church, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

The fire started shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 30, at a home in Necedah, according to a news release from the Juneau County Sheriff’s Office.

Emergency responders first believed two or three people were still inside the residence when they arrived on scene. They found “multiple individuals” in the driveway of the home, which was fully engulfed in flames.

Despite battling the fire for about three hours, authorities soon determined six people were unaccounted for and still inside the residence, the sheriff’s office said.

“The pain of losing six members …