BRODHEAD - At 5 a.m. Jan. 15, Dawn Shimko and her 16-year-old son, Bryce, were trying to sleep soundly in their home on 10th Street, but a crackling sound woke Dawn, who thought Bryce had woken early to study for finals.
Instead, when Bryce went down to the basement to investigate the smell of smoke, the two realized their house was on fire.
"I said, 'Grab your phone, grab your car keys, let's go,'" Dawn said.
In the moment, Dawn said she was flustered trying to come to terms with the fact that the home was burning inside the walls. Later, they would learn an electric fire was the cause of more than 85 percent of their home being lost.
Outside, Dawn struggled to remember the number for 911, eventually calling her neighbor to ask if the pair could park their vehicles next door.
"I couldn't even dial 911 as I was running out the door; I dialed 1-1-9 or 1-9-9 or something," Dawn said with a laugh. "I mean, your brain doesn't compute."
The fire started within the walls, working its way up to basically disintegrate the ceilings, along with a few photos Dawn said were lost. There were some items that found relief, like a 100-year-old rocking chair formerly owned by Dawn's grandmother and brought to Brodhead from Pennsylvania. She said she was also able to recover a Duncan Phyfe table and chairs.
"It was jarring in the fact that you don't know," Bryce said. "Then you're hit with the expectation you didn't have, which was near a total loss. The first matter in my mind was to assess what we could take back out."
Signs of a fire are hardly present on the exterior of the building, but extensive damage hit every room of the home. When the two were able to enter the premises hours later, they were taken aback by the extent of the damage and four feet of drywall and insulation piled up as ash on the floor.
"For me to go back in there - it was nauseating," Dawn said, visibly shaken by the memory.
Dawn was originally adopted by her parents at the age of 4 and grew up in Brodhead. A little over nine years ago, after moving away, she came back to the city with her son to be closer to her parents. Dawn has been living in their rented home since.
Finding a new place to live has been the hardest part, they both noted.
"We're not finding much," Dawn said. "And I want to keep him here, in the Brodhead School District. He's been here since first grade."
Not only does the financial burden and stress of finding an adequate home cause concerns, but Dawn said the after effects of having her home burn have caused other concerns.
"I am terrified of living in an apartment now, because I think, 'What if somebody else starts their stove on fire, burns our stuff down again?'" Dawn said. "I can't go through this again ... It's something you can't really comprehend. I still can't."
A month after the fire, the two are still living with a friend and are in awe of the kindness of their community. A GoFundMe page has been put in place by friend Geri Conway, which has raised $800 in just over 20 days. A food drive was recently hosted by the Brodhead High School during a basketball game. Bryce's friends have helped haul items that were saved, and Dawn said even strangers have offered items for them to use once they find a new home.
"We have good kids," Dawn said, referencing a day when Bryce's friends and their parents helped move items. "The people have been really beautiful, and a lot of people are waiting for us to find a place so they can just say, 'Hey, here's the stuff. Let's get you set up, and you'll be good to go.'"
Instead, when Bryce went down to the basement to investigate the smell of smoke, the two realized their house was on fire.
"I said, 'Grab your phone, grab your car keys, let's go,'" Dawn said.
In the moment, Dawn said she was flustered trying to come to terms with the fact that the home was burning inside the walls. Later, they would learn an electric fire was the cause of more than 85 percent of their home being lost.
Outside, Dawn struggled to remember the number for 911, eventually calling her neighbor to ask if the pair could park their vehicles next door.
"I couldn't even dial 911 as I was running out the door; I dialed 1-1-9 or 1-9-9 or something," Dawn said with a laugh. "I mean, your brain doesn't compute."
The fire started within the walls, working its way up to basically disintegrate the ceilings, along with a few photos Dawn said were lost. There were some items that found relief, like a 100-year-old rocking chair formerly owned by Dawn's grandmother and brought to Brodhead from Pennsylvania. She said she was also able to recover a Duncan Phyfe table and chairs.
"It was jarring in the fact that you don't know," Bryce said. "Then you're hit with the expectation you didn't have, which was near a total loss. The first matter in my mind was to assess what we could take back out."
Signs of a fire are hardly present on the exterior of the building, but extensive damage hit every room of the home. When the two were able to enter the premises hours later, they were taken aback by the extent of the damage and four feet of drywall and insulation piled up as ash on the floor.
"For me to go back in there - it was nauseating," Dawn said, visibly shaken by the memory.
Dawn was originally adopted by her parents at the age of 4 and grew up in Brodhead. A little over nine years ago, after moving away, she came back to the city with her son to be closer to her parents. Dawn has been living in their rented home since.
Finding a new place to live has been the hardest part, they both noted.
"We're not finding much," Dawn said. "And I want to keep him here, in the Brodhead School District. He's been here since first grade."
Not only does the financial burden and stress of finding an adequate home cause concerns, but Dawn said the after effects of having her home burn have caused other concerns.
"I am terrified of living in an apartment now, because I think, 'What if somebody else starts their stove on fire, burns our stuff down again?'" Dawn said. "I can't go through this again ... It's something you can't really comprehend. I still can't."
A month after the fire, the two are still living with a friend and are in awe of the kindness of their community. A GoFundMe page has been put in place by friend Geri Conway, which has raised $800 in just over 20 days. A food drive was recently hosted by the Brodhead High School during a basketball game. Bryce's friends have helped haul items that were saved, and Dawn said even strangers have offered items for them to use once they find a new home.
"We have good kids," Dawn said, referencing a day when Bryce's friends and their parents helped move items. "The people have been really beautiful, and a lot of people are waiting for us to find a place so they can just say, 'Hey, here's the stuff. Let's get you set up, and you'll be good to go.'"