Brooklyn Family Struggling To Raise Enough Money For Rent After Losing Everything In Fire
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There's more heartbreak for a Brooklyn family that has already lost everything in a fire.
As CBS2's Christina Fan reported Friday, they're worried about keeping up with new housing costs while keeping their one-year-old safe and healthy.
For the last several days, Carolina Chan, 26, and her son have been sleeping on the floor of an apartment, wearing nothing but the clothes they escaped in after a massive fire burned through their home in Bensonhurst.
"It makes me very sad to see my kid not being able to eat. I see that he wants to go into his bed," Chan said through an interpreter.
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Chan, her husband, her son and six other relatives were living on the second floor of a home on 85th Street.
On Monday morning, when most of her family was at work, it caught fire. Chan was sleeping inside with her baby when her brother-in-law frantically started pounding her door.
"I saw the smoke. I don't even know how I managed to get out with my baby. I was wearing my pajamas," Chan said.
The family, from Guatemala, lost everything and found temporary refuge at a nearby apartment. To stay, the family must pay $7,500 in rent by next week. While the family has received some clothing donations, they're desperate to replace other necessities for the baby.
"A chair for my baby so he can start eating, because he has stopped eating, for now. He's not longer eating. He's just drinking milk and doesn't want to eat," Chan said.
Chan said her family is back at work, trying to come up with the money. She says other Guatemalan immigrants who also lost everything in the fire were able to raise significant help through online fundraisers, giving her hope people may find it in their hearts to help her, too.
The family is hoping to raise money to buy a walker for the baby, as well as diapers and furniture.
CBS2's Christina Fan contributed to this report.
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