GoFundMe organized for widowed mother of 6 who lost everything in Garden City house fire

GARDEN CITY (WWJ) — A widowed mother of six is in need of help after fire ripped through her Garden City home, causing the family to lose everything.

Krista Stapleton was at Faster Horses music festival in Brooklyn last Saturday, enjoying the music and weather on a trip they had been planning for the last year, when her phone started going off constantly.

Stapleton told WWJ’s Luke Sloan she was getting calls and texts from three neighbors all at the same time telling her that her house was on fire.

“I immediately went into panic mode because my animals were there so we left the concert as quick as we could,” she said.

Stapleton’s kids were all on vacation Up North with family and friends, but one of her cats was killed in the fire and one dog had to be rescued by firefighters. Crews gave the dog oxygen to bring him back and he is now recovering at the vet, Stapleton said.

Stapleton immediately drove back to Garden City. By the time she got back about an hour and a half later, the fire had been put out, but the damage was extensive. Her kitchen was completely destroyed and smoke and water damaged everything to the point where nothing can be salvaged.

Stapleton, whose husband died two years ago from brain cancer, said a firefighter was able to go back into a burning room and rescue his ashes.

In the aftermath of the fire, a friend organized a GoFundMe page to help Stapleton and her family recover . She said all the money will be used to buy new clothes, school supplies and sports equipment for her six kids.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the GoFundMe page has raised more than $21,000.

"She is a full time mom, full time teacher and full time traveling softball/baseball mom. She also owns her own business making all the best goodies. She needs our help," the organizer of the fundraiser wrote. "I've never met another mother that is so involved but yet at 4 different places at the same time. She has been one of the best friends I've met in Garden City."

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