Support Gabe's Recovery After Heroic Act

Hello Everyone! My name is Dani and my husband's name is Gabe, and that is who this GoFundMe is dedicated to.

What started out as a normal day turned into total chaos. Shortly after lunch today, I received a phone call from my husband. He was in tears and pain, as I could hear in his voice, as he told me he needed to go to the emergency room. Of course, as any wife would be, I instantly became worried, and he couldn't get much out. The only thing I was able to understand at that point was fire, explosion, and he was in a tremendous amount of pain and he needed me to come get him. Again, as any wife would, I grabbed what I needed and headed to where he was as fast as I could. When I arrived, my husband walked up to my vehicle, opened the door, and the first words out of his mouth were, "Babe, please don't freak out." When he turned around to get into my vehicle, I saw that he had major burns down both arms to his elbows and his neck down to his waist, and let's not talk about the smell. Through my shock, I asked him what happened.

My husband was at work in Glenwood, IA. He was with two other coworkers talking about work when my husband noticed smoke coming from a window of a house. Knowing that that was not something normal, he and one of his coworkers decided to go check it out. The closer they got to the house, they both thought at first it was a fan in a window that was on fire, until my husband heard screaming coming from inside the house and saw there was smoke filling up the inside of the home. With the help of his coworker, they busted down a door, and my husband went inside to help whoever was inside the house. He discovered a woman and then a small child inside the burning house. He got the woman out first and then the child after realizing the child was trapped in a corner. After they were both safe, he thought he heard someone else but couldn't see or find anyone else and exited the house through the front door, which caused a back-flash, causing my husband to be seriously burned. Gabe has been transferred to the burn unit in Lincoln, NE. Before being transferred, he was at Bellevue Medical, where he was visited by a couple of his bosses who showed up to check on him and to let him know that he was a hero today. If he had not gone inside to get that woman and her child out when he did, they wouldn't have survived. Another coworker did locate another child on the second floor and was able to get that child out safely as well.

I am currently sitting in the family waiting room at the burn center in Lincoln, waiting to be allowed to see my husband as they are treating his burns. Update...it is now 9:45 pm on September 8th, 2025, and the kids and I just got home from the short visit we were allowed to have with him. I was informed that after assessment of his burns that they think they are 2nd degree burns on 15% of his body. They won't know if any of the burns are deeper than that for at least 10 days. He has been told that he is out of work at least until he has his follow-up in 10 days but could be longer.

I was advised by many people to make this GoFundMe on his and our family's behalf to help with any additional medical bills, co-pays, monthly bills, and anything else that might come about while he is recovering from this traumatic happening today. Anything and everything will and is greatly appreciated, and even if you can't donate, prayers mean just as much. My husband was a hero today for people he didn't even know, and he didn't think twice about it. I couldn't be more proud of him! I am even more happy that he still gets to come home to our 3 beautiful children and myself. Today could have been so much worse, but thankfully it wasn't. Thank you for taking the time to read his story. God Bless You All.

I just want to make sure everyone knows that these funds will be used to pay any medical bills that are not covered by insurance, as well as monthly bills that stack up as he is out of work, and of course gas for traveling back and forth to Lincoln and other appointments needed for his recovery. Again, thank you all for your outpouring support and love we greatly appreciate each and every one of you!