WAUKESHA, Wis. – The day after a Christmas Day house fire, neighbors and Waukesha community members stopped by to see the remains of the home and wondered how they could help the family who lived there.
On Christmas Day, the fire broke out around 11 a.m. on Lombardi Way. The Waukesha Fire Department said they contained the fire within 20 minutes, but that a family of four has been displaced since.
Despite the quick response, the home was reduced to rubble, with multiple cars destroyed, beams charred black, and Christmas lights left dark and dangling.
Watch: Waukesha neighbors rally to support family displaced by Christmas Day house fire
One person was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined by the Waukesha Fire Department.
"I am making my way back and as I got even closer — the smoke and it looked like the whole block was up, it was that much smoke. Yeah, it was really bad," Michael Kos said.
Kos, a neighbor who witnessed the aftermath, expressed his shock at the devastation.
"You know — it's hard, I am kind of at a loss right now, it's so sad. I'm just glad they are alive, that's all. It'll get better," Kos said.
The tragedy has sparked an outpouring of community support. Waukesha resident Cheryl Goerke visited the scene to see how she could help one of the homeowners and her family.
"I saw this house, and I thought, I want to help this person," Goerke said. "The more I look at this house, my heart is bleeding for this woman, and I want to help this woman. I know my family and my church, River Glen, would want to help this woman recover from this tragedy on Christmas Day," Goerke said.
As a lifelong Waukesha resident, Goerke is working with her church and believes the community will step up to support the family's recovery.
"We just are a community where we like to help and be there to support a tragedy like this," Goerke said.
The family has established a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $10,000 to help with their recovery.
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