Hugo Family Loses Everything To House Fire
HUGO, Minn. (WCCO) -- When Melissa Kordosky turned into her Hugo neighborhood Monday afternoon she was instantly horrified. The sight of fire trucks and thick smoke and flames took her breath away.
"My 17-year-old was in the house, he was in the house and that's all I could think of -- they're all in the house," Melissa said.
Their home and all possessions were gone in an instant. What isn't gone and what she is incredibly grateful for, is that everyone made it out alive.
"I am thankful for that - but to stand there and watch everything you had in life, burn," Melissa said.
Everything from bikes to basketballs, their clothes, family photos, and furnishings are somewhere in the blackened rubble that was a home.
For now, Melissa, Sean Buckingham and their four boys are living out of a North Branch motel. Thankful to the Red Cross for putting the family up in temporary shelter. In the unfamiliar and cramped setting, one of three family dogs, Mr. Rex, appears as confused as the children.
"Right now we're here for a few days, then I don't know what," Melissa said.
Fire investigators say the cause is still undetermined and the search for an exact cause to the blaze continues.
From the street it appears that the fire's origin was the garage. According to Sean Buckingham who was inside at the time that appears correct. Says Sean, "the corner of the garage, to me it appears to be electrical or lightning strike."
To make their troubles even worse the family was not covered by a renter's policy - their loss is uninsured. So friends have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help them start over.
But for now the best comfort for the shock and grief is the touch of a warm hand and a loving hug.
"I'm just so thankful it didn't happen in the middle of the night because if it did, we probably wouldn't be standing here now," Melissa said.
If you would like to help the family recover donations to their GoFundMe page are gratefully appreciated.