If anyone was watching the early morning local news in Sacramento, CA on June 6th, 2025, the apartment firefighters were trying to save was mine.

My name is Katie, and around 3:45 am on Friday morning, a tree behind my apartment building caught fire. It went up like a matchstick, climbed up the side of the building and into the attic, and destroyed my apartment. I know I'm very lucky, and I'm grateful. I'm lucky to still be here. I'm lucky I'm not injured. I'm lucky I had good neighbors who came banging on my door to wake me up. But all the luck in the world doesn't make living through the aftermath any easier. I'm still in shock that an accident or possibly someone's carelessness effectively rendered me homeless in a matter of minutes.

I have renter's insurance, but it has caps. I have an emergency fund, but not a Catastrophic Life Event in California emergency fund. I don't know how long it will take the building to be rebuilt, likely 6 months to a year. My belongings need to be disposed of, salvaged, cleaned, replaced, and moved and stored somewhere. I now have more expenses I didn't know I'd need to plan for. I am scrambling to keep this from upending all other areas of my life.

And I am hoping against hope that maybe there are a few of you out there who are willing to help me weather this storm until I can get back on my feet. Thank you so much, and stay safe.