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In the News: Wedding Gift Disaster

In this case, it’s a real disaster that was sparked by a wedding gift. An Alaskan wildfire that has blackened over 86 miles of the Kenai Peninsula and destroyed 88 cabins and homes in the area. How? Because a couple were breaking ground to build a cabin for their son and his soon-to-be wife.

Apparently, sparks from a shovel grinding against the dirt to begin breaking the ground for the foundation ignited dry grass. The fire began on June 19th. The bride’s mother donated the land and the groom’s parents were going to build the couple a cabin on it. It sounds like a great wedding present, unfortunately – the fire that began on June 19th couldn’t be put out.

They tried to stop the flames by stomping on them and then beating on them with the shirts off their backs. But the flames couldn’t be extinguished. The fire spread so quickly, that the couple was trapped and had to be rescued by helicopter.

The bride’s mother, Vicki Steik said:

It’s just so sad. I have a lot of friends whose cabins have been destroyed. It just breaks my heart. It’s devastating. It’s heartbreaking. What a tragic (way) for my daughter to start her married life.

News reports have declined to identify the potential in-laws as a lot of ill will exists in the area. Many of the cabins and homes that have been destroyed were uninsured due to their remote locations.

Currently, 61% of the blaze has been contained, but there are over 500 firefighters in the area battling the flames. At this time, there’s no word on whether charges will be filed against the groom’s parents and if they are convicted, they will have to compensate the state for the damages based on their ability to pay.

As for the happy couples? The wedding is still on and the bride’s mother hopes that people will respond rationally. She also said

We’re trying to not let it spoil what should be a very, very happy day for us.

I can appreciate the sentiment – but realistically? I think that the happy day has already been marred by the incident and that the terrible accident has impacted a lot more lives than just their own.

More Marriage in the News:

Marriage in the News: Kennedy’s First Marriage Still On

In the News: Did Michigan Overreach on Marriage v. Unions?

Marriage in the News: Seriously?

This entry was posted in In the News and tagged , , , by Heather Long. Bookmark the permalink.

About Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago. They have a beautiful daughter who just turned five years old. She is learning to read and preparing for kindergarten in the fall. An author of more than 300 articles and 500+ web copy pieces, Heather has also written three books as a ghostwriter. Empty Canoe Publishing accepted a novel of her own. A former horse breeder, Heather used to get most of her exercise outside. In late 2004, early 2005 Heather started studying fitness full time in order to get herself back into shape. Heather worked with a personal trainer for six months and works out regularly. She enjoys shaking up her routine and checking out new exercises. Her current favorites are the treadmill (she walks up to 90 minutes daily) and doing yoga for stretching. She also performs strength training two to three times a week. Her goals include performing in a marathon such as the Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness or Team in Training for Lymphoma research. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience through the fitness and marriage blogs.