A Christmas Eve blaze has left a Lake County family without a home.
Hours before Christmas, fire crews in north suburban Zion responded to reports of a fire in a two-story house on the 3100 block of Ezekiel Avenue just after 8 p.m., the Zion Fire & Rescue Department said in a news release. When crews arrived, no one remained inside and all occupants were accounted for, but heavy fire and smoke billowed from the front of the structure, fire officials said.
Firefighters controlled and extinguished the blaze by 11 p.m. Investigators on the scene determined the fire was accidental and started from the home’s front porch.
No injuries were reported, though the Chicago Red Cross was called and brought in to help the affected family with temporary housing and other immediate needs, fire officials said.
In the wake of the blaze, the family has launched a GoFundMe page seeking financial help and donations as they try to rebuild.
The family did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the fundraiser, the family was preparing dinner together when the fire broke out. All eight members of the family inside escaped but were left with “nothing but the clothes we were wearing,” their GoFundMe reads.
“We lost our home, furniture, clothing, personal documents, family keepsakes, and every Christmas gift for our children,” the page goes on. “Some of us didn’t even have time to grab shoes or coats before running for our lives.”
The family says they woke up on Christmas “displaced, overwhelmed, and starting over from absolute zero.”
As of Friday afternoon, the fundraiser had amassed just over $5,100.
