Kim and Roommates' House Fire

On June 10, a fire started in the wall of my sister Kim’s home, waking her and her two roommates at 1 AM. A freak occurrence, this was an electrical fire that started in the wall - the fire captain told them that there was nothing they could have done to avoid the fire. We are so grateful that the fire alarm woke them, that the fire department arrived in time to save the bones of the home, and that no one is gravely injured. However, they did not have insurance, and fire and smoke have damaged everything, making the home uninhabitable. 

We are setting up a fundraiser to help with the costs of salvaging and replacing as much as possible. There will be expenses involved with cleaning the smoke damage in addition to rebuilding her home. While some of the items will be salvageable, smoke is corrosive, so anything that can be cleaned will need to be restored by a company that specializes in fire damage. Anything that can’t be salvaged will have to be replaced. Estimates are coming in around six months for the salvage jobs. 

Professional smoke cleaning on:

Keepsakes and mementos
Clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, etc.
Musical instruments (some survived but are soot-blackened) 
Computers and electronics
Kitchen tools and appliances
Office furniture (they work from home, and this is severely impacting their working conditions) 
Dining table and chairs 

We will most likely have to replace: 

Washer and dryer that melted from the heat
TV that melted from the heat
Beds, mattresses, pillows, and bedding that burned and aren’t salvageable
Musical instruments (no cleaning will save those guitars) 
Couches/living room furniture, coffee tables
Desks, monitors, tv, chairs in home office
All of our possessions that are not able to be cleaned

My sister and her roommates are lovely people, always willing to go the extra mile and help out their friends. Losing this house is a blow not only to them but all the friends and loved ones who would come over to hang out. They lost a home, but collectively, we lost a nest. We want to help them rebuild their lives and get stability back. While they do have temporary lodging in place, it’s going to be a long road back to normal. Kim and her roommates were saving to buy a home of their own, and this has set them back to square one. In these uncertain times, we know many people are facing hardships and we are extremely grateful for any donation.