CAHOKIA, Ill. – A Cahokia man blames himself for the house fire that killed his mother and grandfather, and now he’s turning to strangers for help.
"It just hurts so much,” Tim Carpenter said.
Carpenter's grandfather Lloyd Metz and mom Cynthia Metz were killed in the fire last Wednesday.
Carpenter feels like the fire is his fault.
"Apparently I didn't burn out all the candles. I thought I blew out all of the candles when I left home, but one of the fire guys said the candle started the fire,” he said.
Now – alone – he’s cleaning out the home his grandfather owned for 60 years without the two people who mattered most to him.
"They were my family, and that's all I had,” he said.
Carpenter believes they'd want him to move forward, but he says that's something he can't do alone.
That's why he started this GoFundMe page.
"This time I need help,” he said, wishing every day he didn’t have to ask for it.
"I'd trade everything I have left for my family back,” he said.
His mother and grandfather will be laid to rest Thursday.
