DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The Plotkowski family is thankful to be alive after flames tore through their Delray Beach home on Thursday.
"I was prepping the baby for bed," stated Nicole Plotkowski. "At 7:45 p.m., I went to put her to sleep and I smelled what I thought was fire."
Nicole, who is 6 months pregnant, knew something was wrong near the garage.
"I opened the garage door and smoke, so much smoke, came out that I knew we had to get out of the house as soon as possible," Nicole said.
Her husband, Micheal Plotkowski, said all that mattered was getting their children Alyssa, Beckett, Denver and their two golden retrievers out of the home. The family escaped the flames safely and went inside their car as law enforcement arrived.
Nicole said Palm Beach County Fire Rescue showed up within minutes but the flames spread quickly.
"Everything is pretty much gone," Nicole said. "At first I was like it's, 'OK, it's just things,' but then I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, our wedding pictures, their baby books.' Just little things you don't think about that you can't replace."
A Delray Beach family is rebuilding their lives after their home caught flames on July 4th. The fire started in the garage. Thankfully the family of 5 and their dog are safe. pic.twitter.com/EqEpkdN7ip
— Zitlali Solache (@zitlalisolache) July 7, 2024
One of their good friends started a GoFundMe for them in hopes of helping them rebuild their lives.
Micheal said their home is unlivable but he will move forward for his family.
"We have a baby on the way and everything is going to be OK," Michael said. "That's the main thing."
The Plotkowski family has home insurance and is still waiting to hear how much will be covered. In the meantime, a fire marshal is trying to determine what caused the flames.