Cook County mother, three children displaced after furnace fire leaves apartment uninhabitable

Suburban mother, three children displaced after furnace fire leaves apartment uninhabitable

“Flames just bloomed out." A suburban mother’s account of the scare that forced her family to flee their apartment.

COOK COUNTY, Ill. - A Midlothian mother and her three children are searching for help and stability after a furnace malfunction filled their apartment with smoke and forced them to flee with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

The backstory:

Starquita White says the frightening ordeal began when she woke up to freezing temperatures inside her apartment. Believing it was a routine issue, she called maintenance for help. Within minutes, the situation escalated.

"We woke up, me and my kids, and it was freezing cold in the house," White said. "Once we called maintenance, he came out and did whatever he did, and he told us it was fixed. About two minutes after he walked out, the whole house was smoky. It was not on fire, but it was smoky, so we rushed out."

White says she ran to get the maintenance worker, who returned with a smoke detector. When he opened the furnace door, she says, flames burst out.

"As soon as he opened the furnace door, flames just bloomed out," she said.

White and her children, ages 15, 11, and 5, escaped safely. However, the apartment was left uninhabitable due to smoke damage, water damage, and insulation issues. Fire officials later determined the cause of the fire to be undetermined.

Since the fire, which happened the day before Thanksgiving, White says her family has been moving between relatives’ homes and hotels when possible. She says the instability has taken a serious emotional and physical toll.

"It’s been so hard. I’ve been everywhere. I have not been sleeping," White said. "Finally, last night I got some sleep because the hotel was nice and comfortable. Other than that, I have not been sleeping at all. I have barely eaten."

White says even food assistance has been difficult to manage without access to a kitchen.

"They are giving us pantry food, and I keep telling them, how can I cook it? I do not have anywhere to cook."

What's next:

Right now, White says her family needs help with basic necessities.

"Everything. Shelter first and foremost. We need a place to live. We need clothes and shoes. The shoes I have on right now are not even warm."

White says the apartment complex has offered little assistance and that she has been told it could be January before her family can return, if they are able to return at all.

We reached out to Village Crossing Apartments for comment and are awaiting a response.

In the meantime, White says her focus remains on keeping her children safe and warm. She hopes that by sharing her story, her family will receive the help and answers they desperately need.

A GoFundMe has been created to help the family.