Harrowing Stories Of Escape Emerge From Crestwood Condo Fire
CRESTWOOD, IL — Harrowing tales of escape are emerging after a ferocious fire tore through a Carriage Manor condominium building earlier this month. Nineteen residents of the building are now trying to rebuild their lives after losing everything they owned but the clothes on their backs.
At least four separate GoFundMe campaigns have been created by friends and family members to help the displaced residents by the Dec. 4 fire with necessities in the short term, such as clothing, groceries, stays at hotels and temporary housing.
>>> Extra Alarm Crestwood Condo Blaze Injures 4, Kills 15 Cats
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The assumption is the fire may have started from an oxygen tank. The Crestwood Fire Department has deemed the building uninhabitable, which was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. High winds contributed to the extra-alarm fire’s rapid spread from the first floor through the 12-unit building’s stairwells.
The fire injured four people, who were transferred to area hospitals. Several residents and a Crestwood police officer were treated for smoke inhalation. The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office determined the fire to be accidental.
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A disabled, retired Burbank firefighter, Robert Vizza Sr., and his son, Robert Jr., lived on the building’s first floor next door to a unit where the fire is believed to have started.
>>> Offers Of Help Pour In For Crestwood Condo Fire Victims
“When the fire alarm went off, my father saw smoke coming from the neighbor’s apartment and pulled [the neighbor] out,” Vizza Sr.’s daughter, Alexis Van Valkenburg, told Patch. “My brother waited ten or 15 seconds. The whole hallway was full of smoke by then. He ran back in and got my father’s service dog, Mike, out through the sliding glass [patio] door.”
The Vizzas have created the “Aid The Vizza Family After Devastating Fire” on GoFundMe. They are requesting donations for daily necessities and temporary housing to get them back on their feet. Currently, they are staying in a hotel, Van Valkenburg said.
The neighbor who was pulled out of his first-floor unit by Vizza Sr. and a Crestwood police officer is recovering at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
Emma Hasty narrowly escaped and “bravely rescued herself” before Crestwood firefighters arrived from the third floor, scaling the balcony with her beloved dog, Poquito, in her arms, said her friend, Haley Crowley, who has organized the “Help Emma Rebuild After Devastating Fire” on GoFundMe.
Hasty jumped down from the third floor, breaking her leg. As firefighters yelled at her to move away from the building, Vizza Jr. pulled her to safety. She is currently recovering from surgery and has no home to go to.
Jacqueline Conte has organized GoFundMe campaign for her mother, Nancy Conte, and sister, Lisa Depolo.
“[The] emotional and financial toll is already heavy. They are not only dealing with the loss of their home, but also the memories and irreplaceable items that were inside. The road to recovery will be long, and they need our support now more than ever,” Conte wrote in the “Help Nancy and Lisa Rebuild After Fire,” on GoFundMe.
A goal of $5,000 has been set to assist her mother and sister with temporary housing, daily necessities (clothing, toiletries, food), replacing furniture, kitchenware, etc. and any other expenses that may arise as they begin to rebuild.
Jack Aguilar and Stephanie Ramirez, were at work at South Suburban Humane Society in Mattesson, when the fire broke out. In addition to losing their home and engagement rings, the blaze killed 15 cats they had adopted and/or were fostering after an extended kitten season.
A GoFundMe campaign, “Rebuild Hope for Jack and Stephanie,” has been set up by their coworkers to assist the couple in the coming days and months.
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