The Odon Fires

This well documented case happened in the small community of Odon, Indiana. William Hackler and his family had just finished eating breakfast one morning when the smell of burning wood was noticed. After searching the house for the cause of the odor, it was determined that it was coming from within a wall on the second floor near a bedroom window. The odd thing about this was that no one had been in the spare room that day and the fact that the house had no wires or electricity. The fire department soon came and was able to extinguish the flames before it spread. Almost as soon as the fire team had returned to their station, they were summoned again to return to the Hackler home. Mrs. Hackler had found a fire burning that started inside her feather bed! A total of nine fires were witnessed by the family as well as the fire crew from 8 am until 11 am that morning. Each one as mysterious as the next. A fireman found a book on a shelf smoldering. When he opened it, it was burning from within. Another mattress caught fire with no one around. Again, from within. A pair of overalls burst into flame as well as a calender hanging on a wall. Only the objects that burst into flames were consumed, everything else around them were left untouched. In all, firefighters from 2 different communities put out a total of 28 fires that day. The family took what beds they had left and slept out under the night skies. Soon William Hackler tore apart the house, board by board, and used the lumber to help construct a new home down the road. The family never had another incident.
In 1941, the Hackler Family was featured by Traveler's Insurance in an add in Colliers Magazine. The company wanted everyone to know that they would cover any fire...even paranormal ones.

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