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Bridgeport Family Lost Everything in Saturday Fire, Relatives Say

By Josh McGhee | March 3, 2015 5:36am | Updated on March 3, 2015 8:54am
 The Kunetzow family lost everything when their house in the 3500 block of Lowe Avenue caught fire Saturday, a relative said.
The Kunetzow family lost everything when their house in the 3500 block of Lowe Avenue caught fire Saturday, a relative said.
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DNAinfo/Josh McGhee

BRIDGEPORT — Kyra Kuznetzow was all set to enjoy her sixth birthday among friends and family in Bridgeport this week.

But a dark cloud now looms over the celebration after a fire gutted her family's Bridgeport home Saturday, leaving them with only the clothes on their back, according to her aunt, Francesca Fischetti.

Kyra's mother, Lisa Levickis, left their home for only a few minutes Saturday night to walk the family dog and returned to smoke pouring out of the house. Thinking quickly, Levickis ran into the burning home to save Kyra and her 92-year-old grandmother, who hasn't been very mobile since she suffered a stroke a few years ago, Fischetti said.

Kyra is OK, "but everything is gone. She didn't even have shoes when she left. All she had were her pajamas," said Fischetti, who began a goFundme account Sunday to help the family get back on their feet.

"I'm trying to help out anyway I can. That's why I started the page. I would've came down there that night, but there was a snowstorm," said Fischetti who lives Downstate. "I felt helpless."

McClellan Elementary School, which Kyra and Fischetti's daughter both attend, also will be accepting donations on the family's behalf. A spokeswoman for the school recommended that those interested in donating bring gift cards, clothing, toiletries and all other donations to the front office of the school, at 3527 S. Wallace St.

Kyra wears a size 6 and wore size 13 shoes. Her mother wears medium shirts, size 7 pants and size 8.5 shoes. Her father wears extra-large shirts and 36-by-38 pants, while the grandmother wears extra-large clothes, Fischetti said.

The fire, which appeared to be accidental, began around 8:20 p.m. in the 3500 block of South Lowe Avenue, police said.

Fischetti said Levickis was transferred to Loyola Hospital and put in a medically induced coma for a short time because of smoke inhalation. When she awoke she was "absolutely traumatized," Fischetti said.

"She blamed herself. She felt bad for leaving the house to walk the dog," Fischetti said. "She saved everyone. I told her 'You're a hero in my eyes. They're going to name a street after you.'"

Kyra and her grandmother have both been released from the hospital and are doing OK. But the fire destroyed the home, which has been in the family since 1920 and has been passed down through three generations, Fischetti said.

"From everything I know there's no way anything would've survived. We lost a lot of memories. I'm just glad my family made it out OK," Fischetti said.

Patrick Daley Thompson, a candidate for 11th Ward alderman, who lives on the same block as the fire is "obviously concerned" and looking for ways to help the family, according to a spokesman.

Ald. James Balcer (11th) visited the home in hopes of speaking to the family and seeing what they needed Monday, he said.

While Levickis remains hospitalized, Kyra and Kyra's father are staying with friends in Indiana. The grandmother is staying at a hotel, Fischetti said.

For now, Fischetti is searching for the perfect message of hope to deliver to her niece when she visits Thursday for her birthday.

"I'm going to tell her everything is going to be OK and do everything to keep her mind off of it. That's all we can really do," Fischetti said.

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