Neighbors Raise Funds For Wheaton Family Who Lost Home In Fire

WHEATON, IL -- Friends and neighbors of a Wheaton family who lost their home in a fire Thursday have banded together to raise funds to help them get back on their feet. The Ellison family, who also lost their possessions and family cat in the fire, have been staying in a hotel during the aftermath, according to the GoFundMe account fellow residents have been supporting.

The devastating fire broke out around 1 p.m. at the family's longtime home in the 200 block of Woodlawn, according to Wheaton Fire Department officials. One person from the Ellison family, Dawn, was home during the blaze, which started around 1 p.m. She sustained minor injuries, officials report.

The GoFundMe started to benefit the Ellisons states that "short term financial support would go a long way toward easing the burden and stress Dawn and her husband are under." The fundraiser, which initially aims to help the Ellisons with "immediate help," had raised nearly $9,000 as of early Tuesday.

The fundraiser organizers expressed their thanks on behalf of the Ellison family. They wrote, "There is no community like Wheaton for rallying around its own."

Image via GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner