A devastating house fire has left a family, including a newborn, without a home in Skokie, Illinois. The incident was reported to ABC7 Chicago by the affected family.
The blaze erupted at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at a residence located on the 7500 block of North Kostner Avenue in Skokie.
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“It’s a nightmare,” said Mohammed Fayyaz, one of the displaced residents. “I couldn’t believe this was happening to my family.”
The fire struck just weeks after Fayyaz and his wife brought their first child home, leaving the family scrambling for shelter amid the cold weather.
“I’m just trembling,” Fayyaz expressed. “I am thankful to Allah for sparing us from harm.”
In the aftermath, Fayyaz managed to recover only a few bags of belongings from their ravaged home.
Fayyaz said the flames started in the living room before thick smoke swept through the entire house.
“I was sleeping, and my uncle called me and said the couch caught fire,” Fayyaz said. “I’m not able to breathe, so I’m not thinking of anything else. I just ran away from that.”
The devastating fire comes a mere two months after Fayyaz became a first-time father.
“I just thought our life would end, and I just ran with my wife and my baby,” Fayyaz said.
Fatherhood is now quickly coming with a new challenge as he faces the frigid cold, hoping to find a place to live for his growing family.
“I don’t know. I have some friends who are supporting me, like, staying with them,” Fayyaz said. “But, I don’t know where to stay or where to go.”
While everyone was able to make it out alive, Fayyaz says his uncle was being treated at the hospital for burns and says it’s still unclear just how the couch caught fire.
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