Christmas Tragedy Young family lost home in fire
Donation protected
On December 25th, around 3 a.m. we woke up to smoke filling our lungs. Our entire apartment was filled with a thick cloud of smoke. (The building fire alarms never went off!) Confused and still half asleep we assumed the worst; Our home caught on fire. Choking on smoke with burning eyes and struggling to see, we quickly grabbed a coat and shoes and ran out the door to safety. We were greeted by bone chilling weather and an officer asking if we are okay. As we looked around we saw panic and horror everywhere. Families were running out of the doors of their homes. Firefighters were setting up ladders to climb the roof, busting down doors to clear rooms and rushing into the basement where the fire had started.
Outside the flashing lights from fire trucks illuminated our courtyard; there were people everywhere. Families huddled together and others looking for their loved ones and pets. It was chaos. All that we were able to do was stand there and watch as smoke flooded out of the apartments. Standing there, we immediately started to panic at the realization that our cats were still inside. We were hesitant to run back in and save them, until we saw fire shoot out of the dryer duct right below our bedroom window. We rushed in with an officer assisting us, with only a short time before being forced to leave.
We at the time, ended up only finding 3 out of our 4 cats. We looked everywhere but couldn’t not find the last one, Dozer. We left our door open so he could escape. We prayed he would be okay. The fire started getting worse and moving up into our bedroom; we were escorted back to our car, where we were told to wait. As we walked away I saw a group of firefighters rush in through our door. They busted our bedroom window out and started tearing down our walls to fight the fire. At that time, the fire had made its way up to the second floor.
After waiting and watching firefighters go back and forth for more than a few hours, things started to calm down. Once we had gotten the ok we went to see the damage and thankfully we were able to find Dozer. As we entered our home, our living room was destroyed, everything was soaked and freezing. Our floors were covered in ice, ash, and dirt. We moved towards our bedroom and we were devastated by what we have seen. All of our belongings were tossed all over, broken, burned, and covered in water. The bed where we were sleeping on, a few hours prior, was burned. We are very blessed to still be alive as well as everyone else in our building.
We started this GoFundme to help us and others to get by. Because we have lost almost everything we own, any donation will be helpful. Our priorities at this time is to find a home. We are also in need of hygiene products, clothes, shoes, and anything that will help get our lives back on track. We appreciate those who have and are willing to help.
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/12/25/families-forced-from-homes-on-christmas-morning-in-palos-hills-apartment-fire/
Outside the flashing lights from fire trucks illuminated our courtyard; there were people everywhere. Families huddled together and others looking for their loved ones and pets. It was chaos. All that we were able to do was stand there and watch as smoke flooded out of the apartments. Standing there, we immediately started to panic at the realization that our cats were still inside. We were hesitant to run back in and save them, until we saw fire shoot out of the dryer duct right below our bedroom window. We rushed in with an officer assisting us, with only a short time before being forced to leave.
We at the time, ended up only finding 3 out of our 4 cats. We looked everywhere but couldn’t not find the last one, Dozer. We left our door open so he could escape. We prayed he would be okay. The fire started getting worse and moving up into our bedroom; we were escorted back to our car, where we were told to wait. As we walked away I saw a group of firefighters rush in through our door. They busted our bedroom window out and started tearing down our walls to fight the fire. At that time, the fire had made its way up to the second floor.
After waiting and watching firefighters go back and forth for more than a few hours, things started to calm down. Once we had gotten the ok we went to see the damage and thankfully we were able to find Dozer. As we entered our home, our living room was destroyed, everything was soaked and freezing. Our floors were covered in ice, ash, and dirt. We moved towards our bedroom and we were devastated by what we have seen. All of our belongings were tossed all over, broken, burned, and covered in water. The bed where we were sleeping on, a few hours prior, was burned. We are very blessed to still be alive as well as everyone else in our building.
We started this GoFundme to help us and others to get by. Because we have lost almost everything we own, any donation will be helpful. Our priorities at this time is to find a home. We are also in need of hygiene products, clothes, shoes, and anything that will help get our lives back on track. We appreciate those who have and are willing to help.
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/12/25/families-forced-from-homes-on-christmas-morning-in-palos-hills-apartment-fire/Organizer
Deanna Watts
Organizer
Palos Hills, IL