Gibraltar family loses everything in house fire before Christmas

Online fundraiser created to help family

GIBRALTER, Mich. – A Gibraltar family is working to recover after its Neely Street home burned to the ground Monday night.

“My daughter, her fiancé and the grandchildren were all eating dinner last night when my daughter turned around to get drinks out of the garage, and saw a huge fire start in the garage,” said Edward Gratowski, the father of the homeowner.

The toys are among the burnt remains and a reminder of the four children who lived in the home with their two parents. Now the family has lost everything with the exception of the clothes on their backs.

“That’s when my wife grabbed the two twin girls, the five-year-old, 8-year-old and the 12-year-old boy and rushed them out,” said Gratowski.

Investigators have yet to get to the bottom of what sparked the flames, but it appears the fire originated in the garage. So far police are saying they don’t suspect anything suspicious.

“The house itself has a lot of smoke damage. There’s so much water damage on the floor. We can probably salvage some clothes or personal stuff,” cried Gratowski.

Unfortunately one dog did not survive the blaze, while two cats are still missing.

“It was a little Shih Tzu. It was only about three months old and they’re devastated,” Gratowski added.

Now the family has to go through the rebuilding process with very little to work with. So far the city has come together to help. The family’s situation comes with Christmas just around the corner.

“Toys for Tots is donating. We have clothing coming to our house as I speak now. The City of Gibraltar is amazing,” said Gratowski.

HOW TO HELP

An online fundraiser has been created to help the family. To view the the fundraiser, click here.

Read more: Headlines from Wayne County


About the Authors:

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.