The Della G, a Wrangell fishing vessel owned and operated by the Churchill family, was lost to a fire in Juneau on July 13. Nobody was on board the 32-foot boat at the time of the fire, according to news reports in Juneau.
The Wrangell community has started to come together to help the Churchills.
According to news reports, the Della G was in Gastineau Channel near the Juneau airport. Reports of the fire came in before midnight, but the response was delayed.
“Initially unable to get through the wetlands to the fire from the airport side, Juneau Police Department officers were eventually able to get close by hiking in from North Douglas Highway,” the Juneau Empire reported.
“Due to dark conditions and not having the ability to pinpoint the location, the fire investigation was postponed until there was daylight and more information available to safely move forward,” the fire department reported in a Facebook posting the morning after the fire.
The Della G was destroyed. The boat was insured, according to the Juneau fire department.
“At this time the fire marshal is working with the District 17 U.S. Coast Guard personnel and the boat owner and a salvage company to safely remove the boat and to allow a fire origin and cause investigation as well as any pollution mitigation,” the fire department posted on Facebook.
Randy Churchill Jr., owner of the Della G, declined to comment for this story.
Lucy Moline-Robinson has started a GoFundMe page for the Churchills. As of Monday morning, it had raised $2,215. Donations can also be made to an account set up at First Bank.
Though the gillnetter was insured, the coverage will not pay for fishing gear, electronics, personal belongings or the loss of fishing income to the family, Moline-Robinson said on the GoFundMe posting.
According to the GoFundMe page, Randy Churchill has fished the Della G since 2007 as a family operation.
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