Fire Victims Count Blessings After Loss

Optimism and hope are not the words which come to mind when a family suffers a devastating loss but that is what Katie and Matt Schmanski exuded after a fire gutted their Highland Park home Nov. 23.

As soon as they smelled smoke at the nearly 100-year-old house they bought in October at 1540 Hawthorne Lane, they called 911 and got out of the house, according to Highland Park Fire Chief Pat Tanner.

Though the Schmanskis escaped without injury, Pumpkin, their cat is still missing. They have put notices on Craig’s list and been setting food out in case the pet returns needing to eat. Patch wrote a story Tuesday.

Since the article appeared on Patch, two people in the neighborhood have emailed us about a cat fitting Pumpkin’s description. The information has been passed along and we are waiting to learn if it is Pumpkin.

As flames were shooting through two spots in the roof, they started to realize the good things they had they would never lose. They also became thankful for the kindness of first responders and neighbors as the fire department got the blaze under control.

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to the police officers and firefighters who responded to our distress call,” Katie Schmanski said. “They have exhibited such kindness and bravery, to which the rest of us can only aspire.”

The Schmanskis children—ages 1 and 3—had the use of the phones of Highland Park Police officers so they could watch movies and play games while sitting in the back of squad cars. ”They protected us and supported us,” Katie Schmanski said.

As firefighters from Highland Park and 10 other area departments battled the blaze, it was not the potential loss that was on the Schmanskis mind but the effort total strangers were making for their family.

“After experiencing the smoke firsthand, I can't imagine willingly running into a burning building for people you don't even know—and every one of those firefighters did so without hesitation,” Katie Schmanski said.

It was not loss, but what was saved that so impressed Katie Schmanski, particularly the creative ways firefighters brought water to the scene after a main broke making the job much harder on a cold day.

“Although the house is gone, they kept the fire from spreading to the trees and neighborhood,” she said. “And to top it off, the next day brought our children new stuffed animals. Incredible.”

It was not just the police and fire departments that made the Schmanskis grateful. It was neighbors they hardly had the chance to know. Some of them plucked the children from the squad cars and invited them into a warm house.

“They (the children) were getting fidgety in the car and they (the neighbors) invited us into their house,” Katie Schmanski said. “Their two older children were wonderful to our kids.”

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