Camp Hiawatha House Fire

On March 31, 2020, our beloved 1920's home in Westerville, Ohio caught fire. The fire started in the kitchen and the rest was a complete blur.

Chris tried to put the flames out, but our fire exstinguisher proved to be no match as the flames kept growing.

I ran outside with Beau (our dog) and after what seemed like an hour Chris shouted from inside for me to call 911. When I realized he was unable to control it, that was when the sheer panic hit.  I couldn't unlock my phone because at that moment I forgot the passcode to unlock it (forgetting in that moment you can make an emergency call even if your phone is locked).

Finally Chris ran out and he called 911 and I had never been so happy to hear fire truck and police car sirens.
I sat on the driveway crying. Meanwhile, Beau made friends with the chief.A huge thank you to the Westerville Fire and Police departments. They acted quickly and swiftly and I will always be grateful to them.

This house means so much to me that I was in a complete state of shock. It's home to me, the place I firmly planted my roots 16 years ago. And that means a lot to a person who moved around her entire life and didn't ever feel "situated."

We have been displaced since March 31st, 2020, and are living in a long-term hotel with whatever clothes we were able to take with us that day.

I am asking for help because there are costs/repairs the insurance company will not cover completely. This is difficult for me, I don't like to ask others for help.

Victims of fires experience tremendous emotional stress. We are living in uncertain and difficult times and hardships like this are increased exponentially.

If you can help in any way, we would be so grateful and indebted to you. And if you can't, we certainly understand that, especially given the current climate.

We can't wait until all of this is over and we can return to some semblance of our life prior to March 31st.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.