OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A morning house fire left nothing but a baby’s blanket behind.
“I just.. fell to my knees and sobbed,” Cindy Beidle said.
Cindy tells FOX 11 she wasn’t home at the time of the Thursday night fire, but her son, daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, and two dogs were.
“I started noticing our apartment started to fill up with white smoke, it was just a white haze.” Kody Beidle said.
Kody woke his wife up and got their 1-year-old son, 2-month-old baby girl, and two dogs safely out of the burning house.
“My husband was home to save us because I feel like if he wasn’t there that me and my kids would not be here right now,” Summer Beidle said.
Kody’s parents had just moved in with them the night before. Both families and the landlord living downstairs lost everything.
“I just sat back and across the road just watched our place go up in flames,” Kody said.
While their belongings can be replaced, memories can’t.
“I grew up there. We actually lived there for 8 to 10 years or so,” Kody said.
Now, the family that lost everything is getting some help getting back on their feet.
Jon Doemel owns Zaroni’s in Oshkosh and helped found the Oshkosh Kids Foundation.
Doemel tells FOX 11 donations have been pouring in.
“There’s a whole warrior aspect of people just willing to drop everything and help. Which is just awesome. The world’s not bad yet. There are still great people out there.”
The family says this has restored their faith in humanity.
“There are no words. You know. You want to say thank you and you can only say it so much and hug people, and they’re good,” Cindy said.
If you’d like to donate, you can find more information on Zaroni’s Facebook page or the Oshkosh Kids Foundation website.
