Crystal Lake family loses home, 5 pets in a fire; fundraiser launched to help

Jeremy and Krista Velmont were out with their two children at Six Flags Great America over Memorial Day when Krista saw a report on social media that there was a house fire on their block in Crystal Lake. She checked then their home camera to see the house filled with smoke.

“It sent us into a frenzy,” Jeremy said.

They started calling neighbors and friends to try to save their pets, but many were away during the holiday weekend, he said. Firefighters began to break windows to try and save the animals.

“Unfortunately, it was a little too late,” he said. “Pretty much everything has been destroyed.”

The family of four, including two daughters ages 8 and 7, lost their home and all of their pets: two dogs, two birds and a cat.

Currently, the family is living in a hotel and getting support from friends and family while they figure out their next steps.

A friend of the Velmonts, Chris Wrublewski, created a GoFundMe with hopes to raise $20,000. As of Monday afternoon, the effort had raised over $4,200. Another online fundraiser on Mealtrain.com was created to provide home-cooked meals while the family lives in a hotel without a kitchen.

“These donations will be instrumental in allowing the family to furnish their rental property and get them their necessities as they wait for their family home to be rebuilt,” Wrublewski said on the GoFundMe site. “They did have insurance, however the insurance will only pay back for things based off of the depreciated value not how much it will cost to replace, which will be very costly.”

The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded to a fire in the afternoon of May 25 at the 1300 block of North Avenue. Firefighters were called for a report of smoke coming from a single-family residence and found smoke coming from the chimney when they arrived on the scene, according to a Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department news release.

After entering the home, crews reported heat and smoke and upgraded the incident to a working structure fire. The fire is currently under investigation, according to the news release.

The fire started in the kitchen, but the cause is still unknown, Jeremy said. He expressed his gratitude to the fire department for doing everything they could to try and save their pets.

“It’s one of those freak fires you hear about all over the place, but hope it never happens to you,” he said.

The home is where Krista grew up with her mom and grandparents. She and Jeremy bought it after getting married, Wrublewski said in the GoFundMe.

“We’re very appreciative of all our friends and family that are going above and beyond,” Jeremy said.