Lightning Hits Home, Looters Steal Jewelry: Funds Raised For Newlyweds

LAKE IN THE HILLS, IL — Newlyweds Kaitlin Rausch and Clayton Prell — high school sweethearts who graduated from Crystal Lake South High School in 2013 — have had a whirlwind couple months following their wedding over the summer.

Rausch and Prell, both 27 years old, moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in May, exchanged vows and celebrated their wedding in Denver in July and were just starting to settle into their new home. Prell, who grew up in Crystal Lake, and Rausch, who grew up in Lake in the Hills, met in English class in middle school when they were 12 years old and started dating when they were 15 years old. They went on to attend Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, together.

Life quickly changed on the night of Sept. 2.

"We had heard the lightning getting closer, and then we heard it hit ... it was a very loud awful noise. Some of our power went out but not all of it. We smelled a little bit of a burning smell," Kaitlyn Rausch, 27, told Patch Thursday. Then they noticed a dark, black cloud of smoke outside the window and heard someone knocking on their door to alert them to get out.

The couple lived on the third floor of the complex at the time and said they never heard smoke alarms going off. They were able to safely get outside of the complex. Rausch said she remembers getting her first glimpse of the blaze once they got to their car in the parking lot.

"We could already see the flames coming through the roof. And we watched it spread across the whole roof and down the building as well,” she said.

The blaze left the couple homeless. They were able to stay in the condo of a family friend for a couple days in Colorado Springs but have since returned to Lake in the Hills to stay with Rausch’s family as they figure out their next steps.

“We are so grateful they are ok,” Rausch’s mother, Christine Rausch, told Patch Thursday. Prell’s sister, Holly Joslyn, has started a GoFundMe for the couple, which has brought in more than $6,700 so far, and is meant to help her brother and sister-in-law get back on their feet.

“They lost everything from everyday essentials to their life’s work. They are both incredible artists and all of their artwork and supplies both physical and digital are gone. These newlyweds also lost all of their sentimental items from their recent wedding,” Joslyn wrote.

Following the blaze, Rausch and Prell hoped to get into their destroyed unit to retrieve some of their belongings but were told by management they could not enter due to safety issues. They were also told a tarp would be placed over their complex after the roof collapsed, but that did not happen, she said.

There was rain over the weekend following the fire, which caused further damage to their artwork and other sentimental items, including invitations the artists handmade for their wedding. The couple was insured for up to $10,000 in losses but the cost of the items lost is nearing $40,000, Rausch said.

On Monday, Prell and Rausch’s father were finally able to get into the apartment and load items into a truck. While going through the apartment, they found items had been stolen, including heirloom jewelry that had been passed down to Rausch. The thieves also broke Prells' safe and stole savings bonds.

Prell and his father-in-law returned to Lake in the Hills with what they could salvage, but Rausch said most of the items are too damaged by smoke, water or fire to keep.

"I opened the bag that had my wedding dress in it yesterday and it has went from that pretty white color to now its this off-white and brownish color in certain areas," Rausch said.

Rausch said it's unlikely they will return to Colorado Springs and plan to stay in Illinois or, perhaps, move to North Carolina to be closer to Prell's family.

"We've talked about maybe going back for some hiking trips but this has just been so traumatic. We don't want to live that far away from family again," she said.

No injuries were reported in the fire that displaced 64 people. Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze. Alishia Pearcy, district manager for Thompson Thrift, which oversees the complex, says they are working with authorities and fire officials to assist with the probe into the fire, according to KKTV 11.

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