Home insurance lapses right before house fire in Granite City

GRANITE City, Sick. — For the Werners, 3208 Wayne Avenue in Granite Town is additional than a home.

Jody Werner explained her grandmother and grandfather purchased this place nearly 50 several years ago.

“Household is usually the heart of the loved ones, it really is the hub. All the events took area right here. It really is exactly where we have dinners, Xmas and vacations,” Werner shared. 

And the family’s past holiday getaway alongside one another listed here was on Sunday. 

“I sense seriously satisfied that I acquired to expend one far more Xmas there,” she mentioned with tears streaming down her facial area.

Werner suggests her 85-yr-previous grandma, mother, brother and nephews all lived listed here.

But shortly, they’d be displaced by a fire. The Granite Town assistant fireplace main explained a place heater was the probable result in.

It was on the ground next to a sofa.

He reported considerable damage was remaining guiding thanks to smoke and water harm.

“There was a place heater in the again area simply because it was definitely cold back again there,” Werner reported.

This came just after times of subfreezing temperatures across the bi-condition.

“The entrance element of the household would not glance that terrible, the again component of the property is absent,” Werner stated.

The construction by itself is standing, but the goods inside of are ruined.

Neighbor Angie Kempfer was operating in her office when she noticed hearth trucks swarm the spot Monday evening.

“They could not get the fire hydrants unfrozen to get individuals hooked up here regionally,” she said. “They had to go to neighboring fireplace hydrants and transfer drinking water.”

As the hearth was staying place out, the loved ones was pressured into the frigid temps.

“My mom experienced just gotten out of the shower and was bare with a towel,” Werner explained to 5 On Your Aspect. “My grandma and nephew didn’t have any sneakers.”

Now, the loved ones is without a dwelling and one of their cats, which died in the hearth.

5 cats ended up living there, one was identified and one more is even now lacking.

To make issues worse, they uncovered the household insurance plan just lapsed.

“It sorted of slipped through the cracks. It was in the previous thirty day period or so, it was incredibly new,” Werner realized. “This is the most horrendous detail to come about to us.”

This trauma adds to an presently tragic time for the spouse and children. 

The year right before the pandemic, Werner’s father suddenly handed away.

In January 2022, Werner’s mother had a stroke and went into cardiac arrest.

Then, she experienced to have a quintuple bypass. 

Werner claimed, they labored to keep the family members monetarily afloat as their mom recovered. 

Werner and her brother have been doing the job at the Improv Shop in the Grove. 

Werner mentioned she put in all her discounts to help her mother.

But the two siblings had been just notified they ended up about to be laid off.

“Final Friday, I was knowledgeable the kitchen at Improv Shop will be closing at the conclude of January. Inflation expenditures of items and our group cannot maintain a total kitchen area,” she mentioned.

The extremely subsequent day, she figured out she had COVID.

A week later, a fireplace wrecked the family household.

But Werner claimed, her spirit just isn’t broken since the community is coming jointly.

“It is actually humbling to sense like you’re at the mercy of strangers but also be taken care of your neighborhood. It can be seriously great. I’m emotion like an unlimited total of gratitude for absolutely everyone who has pitched just about anything,” she explained. 

One of the individuals aiding is Angie Kempfer.

She is increasing funds and amassing donations for her friendly neighbors.

She needs to remind them not all hope is shed.

“I consider we can all pull jointly and exhibit this loved ones there is even now excellent in mankind,” Kempfer explained to 5 On Your Facet.

On Friday and Saturday evening, all of the ticket product sales at the Improv Shop in the Grove will be heading to the loved ones. 

Werner will be carrying out at the 8PM show on Saturday.

If you would like to donate, the GoFundMe web site is here.

You can also ship financial donations to:

• Venmo: @jabrodi
• PayPal: @jodywerner1
• Cashapp: $jabrodi

If you would like to donate things, you can drop them at Kempfer’s residence at 3225 Wayne Avenue in Granite City. 

• Adult males measurement 12 footwear
• Girls dimensions 10.5 large footwear and prolonged-dimension attire
• Grandma requirements furthermore-dimension pajamas
• Boxers, t-shirts, and sweats pants

1 of the lacking cats, Mia, was found on Wednesday. 

Mainly because of the donations, they are capable to acquire her to the vet to have her addressed for the burn on her paw and to examine for smoke inhalation hurt. 

She is traumatized, but she’s back again with grandma.