All Pat and Stacey Piskorski wanted to do was watch their son play in Seward High School’s match up against Beatrice Oct. 9.
They thought they could sneak into the football game, cheer for son Bryce and that would be that.
What the couple did not expect was walking away with a popcorn bag full of cash that was gathered at the doors throughout the night, all to help the Seward family.
Just mere hours before, the Piskorskis' house had caught fire as a result from a loose firepit ember landing on their deck. In a matter of seconds, the fire had found its way into the house, causing extensive damage.
“We were all in bed (asleep) and I woke up to a pinging noise I thought was strange,” Pat said. “It just kept getting louder and louder, so I got up, and when I hit the living room, that’s when I saw the smoke.”
He then saw light from the kitchen window and realized the fire was on the deck.
From there, Pat said, things happened quickly.
Without shoes or glasses on and still half asleep, he raced outside to grab the water hose, located under the deck, thinking he could put it out. But after seeing melting plastic coming from the fire above, he knew it wasn’t safe and went to wake Stacey and Bryce. Their eldest child, Kenna, was away at college at the time.
Stacey called 911 and Pat attempted to bring water from the hose in front of the house to the back.
“After a while I thought I should go in and get some stuff,” Pat said. “I opened the door (to the house), saw so much smoke and thought, “OK, this is where they tell you about people going back in and getting lost.’”
Pat shut the door and the Piskorskis waited for emergency services to arrive.
Members of both the Seward and Garland Fire Departments attended to the fire a short time later and although it was put out, the fire had left its mark. Very few items in the home were able to be salvaged.
Then came the support with no signs of stopping.
Local businesses stepped in to provide clothes, food or monetary donations for the family. Seward resident Annie Springer started a GoFundMe page with a goal of $10,000. At the time of publication, the amount had reached just under $40,000.
“We just can’t believe the support,” Stacey said. “It’s just nuts seeing the support of the community, even complete strangers.”
Their story even made its way down to Alabama, where a friend of a friend started organizing donations among others.
The Piskorskis are grateful now more than ever for the community that is Seward and know such support wouldn’t be as apparent in bigger cities.
They hope to restore their home in the future, but for now, are taking things “hour by hour, day by day.”
