Caledonia Argus

Fire destroys lodge; will reopen in new location

Posted: 1/13/04

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

A lodge that was destroyed by fire at Money Creek Haven Campground north of Houston on January 7 will reopen in a new location this weekend.

The fire, which the Houston County Sheriffís Office said was caused by arson, gutted most of the building in the early morning hours.

Wayne and Carla Fitting, who are leasing Money Creek Haven from Wayneís parents, Allen (Bud) and Janice Fitting, plan to reopen the lodge by January 17 at the location of the summer restaurant near the swimming pool, about 100 yards away. Seating capacity of 90 will be about the same as the old lodge.

Since the fire they have been busy cleaning and insulating that building, and moving equipment that was salvaged from the old lodge.

ìIt has been just like a bad dream come to reality,î Carla said. ìJust devastating to see someoneís livelihood go up in smoke like that.î

But she was quick to add that they are getting a lot of help with clean-up and preparing for the new location. ìSo many friends are so supportive,î Carla said. ìA couple waitresses are here cleaning.î

The fire was called in by John Tschumper from Money Creek, who saw it as he was driving by at about 3:45 a.m. that Wednesday morning. Word quickly spread to all the Fittings, and to Money Creek Haven campground manager Maureen Hughes.

They all pitched in to get things out of the front of the building while the fire was still contained in the back, the main things being the computer and filing cabinet with records. They salvaged other things after the fire, like tables, chairs, dishes, grills, fryers, and other items from part of the building that wasnít damaged.

A Houston man, Mark Leonard Heintz, 42, was detained at the scene and later arrested on suspicion of arson in the fire, but as of January 12 he had not been charged. He had been living in the back of the lodge at the time of the fire. No one else lived in the building.

Houston County Attorney Rick Jackson said on January 9 that Heintz was arrested for probable charge arson, but additional investigation will have to take place before charges are filed.

ìBecause of the amount of time that will take place, he was released on that charge,î Jackson said. Heintz was also charged on January 9 with four crimes. One is a felony that contains two counts: pattern of harassing conduct, and harassment/stalking. Bail was set at $20,000 unconditional or $10,000 with conditions. The other files are three misdemeanor counts of order for protection against his estranged wife on December 3, December 24, and January 3 in Houston. District Court Judge James Fabian set bail at $5,000 for each of these counts.

Judge Fabian told Heintz that if he violated the order for protection again, no bail would be allowed.

Couldnít save building

Houston Fire Chief Mike Olson said that firefighters could tell immediately when they arrived that they wouldnít be able to save most of the building. The fire was contained at about 7 a.m. Houston Fire Department received mutual aide from Rushford, Ridgeway, and Witoka Fire Departments. Firemen spent the rest of the day putting out hot spots.

The lodge was built as an addition to a farm house by Bud and his brothers, Ralph and Roland Fitting, about 41 years ago. The lodge contained a restaurant in the winter, and rooms for rent. The restaurant had been open on the Tuesday before the fire. In the summer the restaurant was moved to the building by the swimming pool that they are now retrofitting.

The house contained a lot of memories, Janice Fitting said. ìAnd a lot of scrapbooks and pictures and things that were there from years past.î

ìA lot of history,î she said. ìSeveral of our family lived in the house there.î

No one was living in the house at the time of the fire. Only Heintz was living in a room in the back of the lodge, where the fire apparently started.

Janice said it was a sad situation, but added, ìNo one was hurt. Thatís the thing. We have our lives. Weíre thankful for that.î

Maureen Hughes, who has worked at Money Creek since 1972, described the fire as devastating. She said she lost a lot of personal things that were accumulated over the past 32 years.

ìThereís just no price you can put on that kind of thing, that have sentimental value,î Carla Fitting said. ìWhen you lose them you know youíre never going to get them back.î

Added Hughes: ìEverybody knows the Haven. Itís a big part of the community.î

But like Carla, Hughes noted the great community support. ìPeople have just been wonderful. I canít describe it. Itís just tremendous,î she said.

Money Creek Haven Campground is located in section 12 of Money Creek township. It contains 16 trailers occupied by permanent residents, and has about 200 camping and trailer sites.

On November 5, 1994, a trailer house in a mobile home park in Caledonia that Mark Heintz was living in also was destroyed by fire. There were six children in the home with him at the time, two of his own and four of his fiance, Tamara Weber, who was living in her home in Eitzen. He told authorities that he got four of the children out of the home to neighbors, then went back into heavy smoke and found the other two children.

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