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Show News Notes from Hanksville By Barbara Ekker " A three-bedroom trailer belonging to Del Webb Corporation, burned completely com-pletely to the ground on Thursday evening at the Hite Marina on Lake Powell Pow-ell after a gas butane hot water heater exploded. The occupants, Sybil and Rita Ekker, daughters of Jess and Barbara Ekker, Ek-ker, escaped serious injuries, injur-ies, but they lost everything every-thing in the fire, but they lost everything in the fire. Park Service and Marina Mar-ina employees fought the blaze in strong winds for several hours before it was brought under con-mmmmaaaamn con-mmmmaaaamn " trol. Several other mobiles in the trailer village were scorched and damaged also. al-so. A defective heater had ignited the trailer's insulation insu-lation several weeks ago. It was reported and supposedly sup-posedly repaired. The Ekker Ek-ker girls had just returned from Salt Lake the day previous with items purchased pur-chased for Rita's upcoming upcom-ing June wedding. These items, along with personal items of clothing and furniture, furn-iture, were estimated at close to $8,000 added to the mobile home, which was recently purchased from Scottsmans Homes in Richfield. Fire fighting equipment was insufficient insuffici-ent with only several small hand extinguishers and a garden hose (with low pressure) available at the time of the explosion. The Ekker girls have been employed and have resided resid-ed at Hite for over two years but just recently moved into this mobile. Bill and Yvonne Kim-bro, Kim-bro, Modesto, California, met Larry and Julia Ekker Cheskaty, San Diego, in Green River Sunday and the two couples have spent the last week touring tour-ing this area. Yvonne and Julia met years ago while in nurses training in Denver. Den-ver. They joined Julia's brothers and families for a trip to Rainbow Bridge Monday on Lake Powell. The excursion included Bruce Ekker, Reno; Mr. and Mrs. Ted Ekker, Mr. and Mrs. Roy May and children, Green River; Mr. and Mrs. Horace Ekker, Mr. and Mrs. Dar-ys Dar-ys Ekker, Hanksville. They toured the Henry Mountains and the Ek-kers Ek-kers ' Placer properties before be-fore returning to their homes Saturday. Katie Lee, author of Ten Thousand Goddam 1 Cattle (Northland Press, I Flagstaff, Arizona), visit- J ed Hanksville friends on J Thursday after a 10-day j backpacking trip into, the Maze with five friends. The group included Remo I Lavanino and Bruce Ber- I ger, Robin Molney and J Carmen Smith, of Aspen, j Colorado and Leo Walter, j Riley, Kansas. Slim Willi- ams and Ernie Shirley hosted a dinner for the I group Thursday evening, j V J Mo Kirby and Dee Dee ! Donovan of Sharon, Con-J Con-J necticut visited the Jess Ekkers Monday enroute to "Grand Canyon. The girls I were delayed on their trip I west by heavy snow in I Dillon, Co. where they J were stranded for three J days, but they took advan-I advan-I tage of their plight and did some- skiing. Mo is the j daughter of Ed and Mary I Kirby, frequent visitors tc I this area from their Con- necticut home where Ed is J principal of the local high school and recently authored auth-ored a book, Saga of Butch Cassidy. The girls planned plan-ned to visit Lula Parker Betenson, Butch Cassidy Cassi-dy 's sister in Circle ville before returning home. James Lewis, Salt Lake, is visiting his fiancee, Rita Ann Ekker this weekend in Hanksville, after hearing hear-ing of the fire that destroyed des-troyed her home at Hite Marina on Lake Powell Thursday |