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Compassion rises from ashes Mail Tribune / Jim Craven John Snow stands on the ashes of the Eagle Point shop and barn that used to be home to steers he and his sister, Jenifer, were raising as 4-H Club projects. An arc from an electric fence started a fire that burned down the barn Oct. 17. Eagle Point 4-H siblings lose their steers to fire, but the community replaces them - and then some By SARAH LEMON EAGLE POINT - When they bought steers to raise as 4-H Club projects, Eagle Point teens John and Jenifer Snow never thought the animals would have to be butchered before going to auction. A fire that destroyed the Snows' barn last week trapped the 9-month-old steers in their pen and burned them so badly that they had to be butchered the night of the fire. But the family didn't expect the outpouring of community support that followed. The Butcher Shop in Eagle Point donated its time and waived the fee to cut and wrap the meat. Cattlemen volunteered to replace the teens' steers, which weren't insured, so they would still have animals to show at the county fair next year. "I was overwhelmed; it's just been incredible," said the teens' mother, Natalie Snow, of the offers extended to the family. A contractor and electrician also did some work on the family's turn-of-the-century home, which was slightly damaged in the fire, and refused any payment. Neighbors brought over meals for the distracted Snow family. An arc from an electric fence started a grass fire that spread to the family's barn, said Rod Edwards, Jackson County Fire District 3 battalion chief. John, 17, said he was lying on the living room couch at the family's Brownsboro Highway home when the fire broke out around 10 p.m. Oct. 17. He said he ran outside when he noticed the flames and tried to get the steers out of their corral, but the blaze was already at the gate. He grabbed a hose and tried to put out the fire himself, but it already was lapping at the barn's roof. "The barn went up in a couple of seconds," he said. The Eagle Point High School senior, who was home alone, called 911. He then tried to put halters on the frantic steers, but couldn't catch the 700-pound animals as they ran around the pen. One jumped the fence. When firefighters arrived, they hosed down the two bovines before tackling the charred structures. But it was too late to save the steers. John said they had red and white spots "from their backs to their butts" where their hide had been singed off. They were shaking, going into shock and wouldn't move. "We're butchers, and it bothered me," said Butcher Shop owner Cam Callahan of the steers condition. Callahan and his partner Brian Stofflet came out that night with their mobile butcher truck and killed the black and white steers with John's help. Jenifer, 15, who arrived home with Natalie after the fire was out, couldn't watch the butchers dismember the steers. She still gets emotional when she talks about it, Natalie said. The teens, who have been 4-H'ers since fourth grade, took out loans from the bank and borrowed money from their parents to buy the animals at September's Harvest Fair. John purchased his Angus cross for $1,000 from Jerry Mefford of Seven Oaks Livestock in Central Point. When Mefford heard of the steer's subsequent demise, he offered John another, worth about $500. "I figured he paid a thousand for the one, so if I donate one back, I'm breaking even," Mefford said. "It really wasn't a money deal." An Eagle Point neighbor offered Jenifer a replacement steer. John and Jenifer hadn't progressed much beyond grooming their steers, so they should still have time to properly train new ones for this summer's fair. And the Snow family will have 358 pounds of beef in the freezer this winter. Because the animals were in such distress prior to being butchered, the Snows were concerned the meat might not have been palatable. But The Butcher Shop sent over a couple of steaks that John pronounced as "fine." "I don't feel bad about eatin' 'em," he said. "I felt bad about watching them while they were still alive." Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.