GRANITE CITY, Ill. — For the Werners, 3208 Wayne Avenue in Granite City is more than a house.
It's a home.
Jody Werner said her grandmother and grandfather bought this place almost 50 years ago.
"Home is always the heart of the family, it's the hub. All the events took place here. It's where we have dinners, Christmas and holidays," Werner shared.
And the family's last holiday together here was on Sunday.
"I feel really happy that I got to spend one more Christmas there," she said with tears streaming down her face.
Werner says her 85-year-old grandma, mom, brother and nephews all lived here.
But soon, they'd be displaced by a fire. The Granite City assistant fire chief said a space heater was the probable cause.
It was on the ground next to a sofa.
He said significant damage was left behind due to smoke and water damage.
"There was a space heater in the back room because it was really cold back there," Werner said.
This came after days of subfreezing temperatures across the bi-state.
"The front part of the house doesn't look that bad, the back part of the house is gone," Werner said.
The structure itself is standing, but the items inside are destroyed.
Neighbor Angie Kempfer was working in her office when she saw fire trucks swarm the area Monday evening.
"They could not get the fire hydrants unfrozen to get those hooked up here locally," she said. "They had to go to neighboring fire hydrants and transfer water."
As the fire was being put out, the family was forced into the frigid temps.
"My mom had just gotten out of the shower and was naked with a towel," Werner told 5 On Your Side. "My grandma and nephew didn’t have any shoes."
Now, the family is without a home and one of their cats, which died in the fire.
Five cats were living there, one was found and another is still missing.
To make matters worse, they learned the home insurance just lapsed.
"It sorted of slipped through the cracks. It was in the last month or so, it was very recent," Werner learned. "This is the most horrendous thing to happen to us."
This trauma adds to an already tragic time for the family.
The year before the pandemic, Werner's father suddenly passed away.
Then, COVID-19 hit.
In January 2022, Werner's mom had a stroke and went into cardiac arrest.
Then, she had to have a quintuple bypass.
Werner said, they worked to keep the family financially afloat as their mom recovered.
Werner and her brother have been working at the Improv Shop in the Grove.
Both are chefs.
Werner said she spent all her savings to help her mom.
But the two siblings were just notified they were about to be laid off.
"Last Friday, I was informed the kitchen at Improv Shop will be closing at the end of January. Inflation costs of goods and our community can’t sustain a full kitchen," she said.
The very next day, she learned she had COVID.
A week later, a fire destroyed the family home.
But Werner said, her spirit isn't broken because the community is coming together.
"It is really humbling to feel like you're at the mercy of strangers but also be taken care of your community. It's really nice. I’m feeling like an endless amount of gratitude for everyone who has pitched anything," she said.
One of the people helping is Angie Kempfer.
She is raising funds and collecting donations for her friendly neighbors.
She wants to remind them not all hope is lost.
"I think we can all pull together and show this family there is still good in mankind," Kempfer told 5 On Your Side.
On Friday and Saturday night, all of the ticket sales at the Improv Shop in the Grove will be going to the family.
Werner will be performing at the 8PM show on Saturday.
If you'd like to donate, the GoFundMe page is here.
You can also send monetary donations to:
- Venmo: @jabrodi
- PayPal: @jodywerner1
- Cashapp: $jabrodi
If you'd like to donate items, you can drop them at Kempfer's home at 3225 Wayne Avenue in Granite City.
Donation items include:
- Men size 12 shoes
- Women size 10.5 wide shoes and extended-size dresses
- Grandma needs plus-size pajamas
- Boxers, t-shirts, and sweats pants
One of the missing cats, Mia, was found on Wednesday.
Because of the donations, they are able to take her to the vet to have her treated for the burn on her paw and to check for smoke inhalation damage.
She is traumatized, but she’s back with grandma.