MONTAGUE — After a fire ripped through a barn attached to an antique house in Northfield just before midnight Friday, a local church has begun collecting donations to help the victims replace what’s been lost.
Ann Fisk, the clerk of the First Congregational Church of Montague in Montague Center, said the home’s owners — Michael and Marjorie Paton — are friends of the congregation and run an Alzheimer’s disease support group there once a month.
The church will collect donations and give them to the family to help them rebuild and recover, Fisk said.
“Marge grew up in our church,” Fisk said, noting that Paton’s sister still attends as a deacon.
The couple’s oldest son, Alex, and his wife, Marissa, lived in an apartment in the barn, which was destroyed by the fire. Fisk said they were recently married.
“All nice new wedding stuff, they lost everything,” she said.
Though the barn was lost, the circa-1770 house was saved by firefighters who responded from three different states. The property is fully insured, according to Michael Paton.
Fisk said checks are the best way to donate, and they can be mailed to P.O. Box 65, Montague, 01351, with “Paton fire” in the memo line.