School Van Burns on Trip; Quiz Bowl Team Victorious
By Amy Polk

Hours after the van fire in Newberry, Cedarville High School's Quiz Bowl team (back row, from left) Joel Feldhake, Clayton Meyers, Nicholas and Nathaniel Kostecki; (front) Erin Smith and Ali Eberts show Coach Janet Haske's computer case, one of the items that survived the fire. They are in a room at the Newberry Comfort Inn, waiting for transportation. (Photograph by Janet Haske)

The Cedarville High School Quiz Bowl team kept its composure despite a fire that destroyed the school van en route to Marquette Tuesday, November 27. Team members went on to win their first match of the season against Big Bay de Noc, 210-110.

The team of Ali Eberts, Joel Feldhake, Nathaniel and Nicholas Kostecki, Clayton Meyers, Erin Smith, and Coach Janet Haske also maintained its sense of humor, adopting a stuffed Fire Pup toy they dubbed "Sparky" as the team's new mascot when they got home. After the incident, Clark Township firefighters loaned the Fire Pup and toy helmets to the team.

Mrs. Haske steered the students first through a snowstorm from Cedarville to Newberry, then through the van fire, and through another snowstorm from Newberry to Marquette. The foul weather and the fire turned a typical three-hour trip from Cedarville to Marquette into a 10- hour ordeal. The team almost canceled the trip because of the weather, but Big Bay de Noc and some of the Cedarville students could not reschedule.

Newberry firefighters extinguish the Les Cheneaux Community Schools' van fire at a parking lot in Newberry. (Photograph by Janet Haske)

"It took two and a half hours to get to Newberry, and at that point, I was more concerned about the weather than anything else," Mrs. Haske said.

When they reached Newberry, they stopped at a gasoline and convenience station, but soon left because the power was knocked out by the winter storm. Mrs. Haske and the team first noticed faint wisps of smoke coming from the dashboard vents when they left the station. At a second station, Mrs. Haske checked under the hood, but the smoke stopped and the inspection revealed nothing. She planned to drive the van to a mechanic for another look.

Above: Cedarville High School Quiz Bowl members Ali Eberts (left) and Erin Smith hold the team's new mascot, "Sparky" the Fire Pup, on loan from Clark Township Fire Department, and a fire extinguisher, following the fire that destroyed their van en route to a competition. (Photograph by Janet Haske)

In the meantime, Quiz Bowl team captain Erin Smith called her father, Jerry, for advice, and he recommended they get a fire extinguisher. The van never made it to a service mechanic.

"The whole thing, from when we noticed the smoke to when the car became engulfed in flames, took about 12 minutes, from start to finish," Miss Smith said. "And it didn't just catch on fire. It actually exploded."

While Miss Smith was inside the station asking for a fire extinguisher, smoke started billowing out of the vents, then flames shot out. Using the fire extinguisher, Miss Smith, Miss Eberts, and Mrs. Haske were able to hold off the fire long enough to get whatever they could out of the van before it burned up. The boys were still inside the station, Mrs. Haske said. A pair of glasses, a retainer, harmonica, and fedora were lost in the fire. Mrs. Haske's laptop computer and digital camera were saved, allowing her to record the experience.

"While it was happening, we were just taking charge and doing what needed to be done," Miss Smith said.

Soon after, the van was consumed by flames and exploded two or three times, shooting metal parts out onto the driveway. The van was parked next to the station building, and the fire burned so hot it melted a sign on the side of the building.

"The wind was blowing really hard, though, and fortunately it blew a lot of the smoke and fire away from the building and in the opposite direction," Mrs. Haske added.

Newberry Michigan State Police and the Newberry Fire Department responded to the fire, and firefighters extinguished the vehicle.

The burned van was a total loss, so Mrs. Haske and the team were stranded in Newberry between home and their first match of the season in Marquette. Superintendent Rod Goehmann and High School Secretary Deb Beukema made arrangements for the team to stay at Newberry's Comfort Inn while they waited for help. They were at the motel nearly four hours before Tom Huff of Huff's Repair in Cedarville came to Newberry to collect the charred van. He also brought his family's personal vehicle for the team to take to Marquette.

The students passed on offers to reschedule the Quiz Bowl match, went on with the trip, and finally arrived at their destination around 10 p.m.

"We were looking forward to the match in the first place," Miss Smith said. "We're now in the top 16, and have a shot at competing in the finals."

Mrs. Haske said the group learned several lessons from the trip, including "a deeper appreciation of the meaning of team work and the power of prayer."

Nobody has learned, yet, what caused the fire.