Milwaukee family lost everything in a fire, struggling to move forward

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - A Milwaukee is family to struggling to find a place to live after losing everything in a fire.

The St. Patrick’s Day fire hit so quickly, Katie Wickersheimer and her family didn’t even have time to grab their shoes before running out the door.

The day we met them, Katie’s almost 2-year-old son was always on the move.

But the shoes that help him move so fast are new, and almost all he has.

“You know he lost all his toys, he lost his home,” said Wickersheimer.

Wickersheimer, her son and fiancé Martin Lewis were at home Sunday when flames engulfed their apartment.

“Flames were literally just inches from my face so I just had to run in and try to get everybody out of the house as fast as we can,” said Lewis.

It happened so fast in a matter of minutes and the family had no time to grab anything.

“We left with nothing,” said Wickersheimer,  “I left with no shoes on, my son left with no pants and no shoes, no jackets.”

Everything they left behind was destroyed.

“So I really don’t know where to go you know, what to do from here,” said Wickersheimer.

Right now the family is staying in a hotel but can’t afford that for long, especially with a baby said Lewis.

“I have known Katie now for about 2 years,” said Kathleen Sullivan, Katie’s coworker at Mama Mia’s in West Allis.

Sullivan heard what happened wanted to help.

“We do have a donation box up front,” said Sullivan, “we’re hoping for money, clothes would help, anything would help.”

They’ve also started a Go Fund Me page.

In the short term the family needs the essentials like soap, a hair brush an clothes.

“You take things like that for granted cause you just have them until they’re gone and you don’t have anything and you don’t realize,” said Wickersheimer.

In the long term, they need a new place to call home.

They are looking to rent a two bedroom apartment.

If you’d like to donate, you can drop off items at Mama Mia’s.

You can also visit their Go Fund Me Page.

As for the fire, it appears to have started outside, but is still under investigation.