Family in need after losing everything from deadly house fire near downtown Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A family is mourning the loss of a beloved father after a fire unexpectedly took his life this week.
Fire crews responded to the blaze on East Boulder Street, near Palmer High School in Colorado Springs; shutting down both sides of the street.
The family says the flames that engulfed the property, came from a mishap in the garage when Aaron Roper was working on his son's dirt bike; catching on fire before spreading to the rest of house.
The horrific accident took place right in front of his 12 and 13-year-olds.
"The kids, they witnessed everything. They lost their house and everything in it, along with my dad," Jen Viernow said.
Viernow is Aaron Roper's eldest daughter. Monday, she received the news of her dad's passing from her younger sister, "I just got a pretty hectic phone call from my little sister, which she's 13, saying that my dad had passed out."
As Roper tried to put out the flames, smoke quickly filled the garage, which proved fatal for him due to previous heart and lung problems.
"She ran out there and seen my dad was collapsed and called her mom. By the time they got back to the house everything had been engulfed in flames," Viernow said.
She says it all happened very quickly, leaving her younger siblings with next to nothing, "She was in shorts and socks when this happened so they were out in the cold with no clothing or anything on and so they don't have much with them now."
Roper's death hits especially hard for Jen who lives in Utah, "He was planning on moving here this summer to be here makes it really hard because I know it was my chance to, you know, reconnect with him more as an adult."
She now has one ask of the community: "I know money is tight for everybody in right now. If you can even just share the post for the GoFundMe that would be very helpful. Very much appreciate it."
Jen tells me all of the money raised is going towards funeral services for her father and of course helping her younger siblings get back on their feet.
If you would like to help out, here is the verified GoFundMe.