Legislator’s house burns
Staff writer
John Barker, 70th District state representative campaigning for another term, faced a setback Friday morning when his Abilene home caught fire.
“April and I had just gotten up when my neighbor rang the doorbell and said, ‘You’ve got a fire,’” Barker said. “April ran outside, and I stayed to call the fire department.”
The fire was in the attic area of the home. A state fire marshal was on the way to Barker’s house to investigate the cause of the fire. Barker guessed it was electrical.
Five fire departments fought the fire. Included were Abilene, Grant Township from Dickinson County, Solomon, Herington, and Chapman.
Barker said he and his wife had lived in the home, which they bought new, for 20 years.
“My insurance agent came out, and he thinks it’s totaled,” Barker said.
Barker was waiting for an adjuster to arrive.
“I called and got a hotel room for the night,” he said.
The house had a lot of water damage, he said.
“They did a great job,” he said. “It’s just the nature of a fire; you put a lot of water on it.”