UW Madison Students Displaced by House Fire

We are a group of six UW-Madison students—Ella, Carly, Livi, Lydia, Gabby, and Nina. On the morning of September 11th, we were woken up at 5 a.m. to find our house on fire. Thanks to the swift response of the Madison Police Department and Madison Fire Department, we all got out safely. The incident is currently under investigation as a potential case of arson.

Unfortunately, our home is no longer livable for the rest of the school year, and due to the complexities of UW housing, we have been permanently displaced. We have been tirelessly searching for a new place to live, but so far, rental agencies haven't been able to offer us a lease.

Despite this challenging time, we are incredibly grateful for the love and support of the community around us. Their kindness has been a light through this tough experience, and we cannot thank them enough.

If you would like to help support us as we navigate this difficult situation, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you so much for your kindness and consideration.

FINAL UPDATE

Dear Friends, Family, and Kind Strangers,

Thanks to you, we have been able to rebuild—not just our material possessions, but our spirits as well. We are thrilled to share that, though our lives have been forever changed, we are on our way to rebuilding and regaining a sense of normalcy. As we continue to navigate our way through the challenges of this year, we want you to know that we will carry your kindness with us. You've not only helped us through a crisis, but you've reminded us of the goodness in the world and the power of community.

To everyone who donated, shared our story, reached out with kind words, or sent prayers, thank you. We are forever grateful. We could not have done this without you.

We will be closing this GoFundMe, but we will always be deeply touched by the incredible support we've received. If you’d like to stay up to date on the trial of the arsonist feel free to reach out or follow on CCAP -- his name is John H. Reissmann.

With sincere thanks and all our love,

Ella, Carly, Livi, Lydia, Gabby, and Nina

9/12 UPDATE

Dear Friends,

We are so incredibly grateful for your generous donations and continued support during this challenging and stressful time. Your kindness has been a huge help, and we truly can’t thank you enough for being there for us.

In the spirit of full transparency, we wanted to provide an update on our current situation. While we’ve made some progress, the costs we’re facing have been higher than we anticipated. For example, the cost to clean just our clothes alone came out to $2,400 per person. Beyond that, we still need to replace essential items like beds, dressers, and desks.

Additionally, we are now facing a significant increase in rent, which has added even more pressure to our financial situation. Despite these unexpected expenses, your contributions have made a tremendous difference, and we remain hopeful.

Every bit of support continues to help us rebuild and get back on our feet. Thank you once again for your generosity, and we’ll keep you updated as we move forward.

9/16 UPDATE

We want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love, support, and generosity we've received in the wake of the fire that displaced us from our home. Whether you are someone we know well or a stranger who stepped up in our time of need, we are overwhelmed by the kindness shown to us.

We are relieved to share that an arson suspect has been taken into custody, which has brought us all a sense of peace. The past few days have been incredibly challenging, but knowing that so many people are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers has helped us through.

Though the six of us roommates have had to split up for now, we’ve been fortunate enough to find places to live. We are working hard to get back to our lives as college students. We honestly don’t know how we could have navigated this process without the incredible generosity of friends, family, and people we don’t even know. Your kindness has lifted us up during one of the hardest times in our lives and made a world of difference to each of us.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being there when we needed it most.