Jefferson Park neighbors rally around family who lost everything in fire

JEFFERSON PARK — A Jefferson Park family started a GoFundMe after a fire in their apartment building displaced them last week.

Shae Daher said her family “literally lost everything” in a May 21 fire that gutted three homes, displaced two families and killed a homeowner's dog, firefighters and a neighbor said.

The fire is believed to have started around 7 p.m. at the rear of the home at 5249 N. Laramie Ave., fire department spokesman Larry Langford said. High winds caused the fire to spread to homes on both sides, Langford said.

Daher, who lived at 5247 N. Laramie with his wife and 4-year-old daughter, said everything was “either burned or smoke damaged or water damaged.” The house is uninhabitable and will likely need to be completely gutted and renovated, a process that could take up to 18 months, Daher said.

Daher and his family are staying with friends while they look for more permanent housing.

A GoFundMe set up by Daher's father had raised more than $11,000 as of Tuesday evening. The fundraiser has a goal of $20,000. The family also accepts donations of household items and furniture. To make a non-monetary donation, contact Daher's father here.

lose everything

Daher and his daughter were at home watching television when the fire broke out, he said.

“We heard what sounded like a loud explosion,” Daher said. “I went to the back porch and looked to my left and saw my neighbors house was shooting flames. It wasn't a small fire, it was violent.

Daher rushed his daughter out of the house and asked a neighbor to stay with her while he went back into the house to save his cat, he said.

“I saw that my porch ceiling was starting to hang [fire], so I tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher, which stopped it dead in its tracks for about two seconds,” Daher said. “I saw my ComEd service line catch fire and start sparking. That's when I knew I had to get out of there.

The Dahers have lived in Laramie for five years. It was the family's first home, where their daughter took her first steps and where Daher and her father spent years cultivating a lush garden. The heat from the fire caused all the plants in the garden to wilt and die, Daher said.

The back half of the house has collapsed and is “charred beyond recognition,” Daher said.

“This house was everything to us,” Daher said. “But my wife and child are pretty traumatized by the whole experience, and I don’t know if I’ll ever feel at home again.”

Kim Wilson, owner of 5249 N. Laramie Ave., said her 91-year-old father was also home when the fire broke out. Neighbors helped Wilson's father evacuate, but his dog was killed, she said.

Wilson previously told Block Club that she has good insurance and is confident she will eventually be able to return home.

The third house also suffered significant damage, but is still habitable. Those residents could not immediately be reached for comment.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

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