In the early morning hours of January 29, my family discovered that a fire had started in the upper portion of their chimney. The firemen had to rip a hole in a bedroom ceiling to get into the attic to get at it, but by dawn, all seemed well, and the damage minor. However, within a few hours, it became evident that the fire was not completely out - it had traveled from the chimney into the floors and walls of the 200+ year old house, and was smoldering there. It even charred beams and scorched the ceiling above my mother’s bed. The fire department came again, and this time, they took no chances. Built in the 1800's, the fireplace was in the center of the house, to heat as much as possible from the inside out. Because of this, the firemen had to tear down every fireplace-touching wall on every floor, and doused it all with water from the attic to the basement. The house was saved, largely due to it being an old structure with hardwood beams and plaster lathing that withheld the fire. We have been told that if this had been a newer building with modern lumber and materials, the house would have gone up in flames. For many reasons, our family is grateful that this was not worse. No one was hurt, and very little personal property lost. However, the damage to the house was plentiful enough, with walls of two bedrooms, the dining room, the living room, and a hallway torn down, as well as two ceilings and a closet. And the furnace got flooded and needed to be replaced. The house is currently uninhabitable, and Lynn, Jack, Kevin, Michelle, and lots of rescue kitties (mom is always trying to save the kitties) have to be relocated for an estimated 6 months while cleanup and restoration is underway. Insurance will do what insurance will do, but there are of course many other expenses due to this emergency that can fall in the gaps insurance won't cover, and they have to pay plenty out of pocket while claims are being processed for reimbursement. Generally, this will be an expensive and stressful year for them as they move out, rebuild, and then move back in when they can. So I am setting up this fund to help them cover some of these expenses and alleviate some of the financial stress, at least. Please help in any way you can, and we all thank you very much. (And not to add a further sob story to this, but during the first week of cleanup, mom tripped and fell and broke a wrist, so please send her good vibes and maybe a get well soon card while you're thinking of it!)