Dan Rowe, 59, center, along with his friend Bruce Fresh, 63, speak with Bruin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Eric Feicht, right, on a neighbors lawn while 12 fire crews work together to put out a fire that destroyed the home that Rowe's been renting for 20 years. The home caught fire on the evening of January 13.

BRUIN — When times were tough, Daniel Rowe could always count on his best friend, Bruce Fresh. That friendship naturally kicked in Monday when a late afternoon fire destroyed Rowe’s home of more than two decades along with all his family’s possessions.

Fresh rushed straight to the scene as soon as he heard about the fire, which displaced Rowe, his two adult daughters and his infant granddaughter, Isabelle.

“I was worried about him,” Fresh said. “They have a young baby and I knew he was at work, so I ran over there and spent the night with him ‘til they got things cleaned up.”

Fresh and his son, Justin, immediately began accepting clothing, baby items and anything else the northern Butler County community could donate to the Rowe family.

The Freshes are still accepting items, which can be dropped off on the family’s porch at 224 Main Street in Bruin.

Donations can also be mailed to the family at PO Box 2, Bruin PA, 16022.

This is an excerpt from an article that will appear in Wednesday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read more about the family’s plans and what police said may have caused the fire.