LUZERNE -- A fire at an apartment house in Luzerne County started with a cooking accident, according to a state police fire marshal.
Kristie Slesienski's family went back to the apartment, carrying boxes of belongings from the home on Walnut Street in Luzerne.
For Kristie, going in and out of the charred apartment house is a difficult walk she never expected to make.
"All my stuff is just… my girls are OK, but I've been here a long time, 7 or 8 years, all my stuff!" she said.
A state police fire marshal calls the fire accidental, caused by someone cooking. But for the single mom, who lived there with her two daughters in the apartment right above where the fire started, it was a costly mistake.
"We struggled so hard to stay afloat and it's gone," she said.
Kristie does not have renter's insurance. She plans to live with family in Bucks County, about two hours away.
"I'm devastated. They lost everything! Except for a few things that can be washed off maybe," said her stepmom.
But so many things, like photos, souvenirs from vacations, and more cannot. And that's why Kristie was overwhelmed when we told her that donations are already coming into the GoFundMe page her sister set up for her.
"I'm so grateful, thank you so much," she said.
The link for the page is here.