A flat fire in Żory. My family lost almost all their belongings; these tragic events took place on the afternoon of 25 October.

The fire that broke out in our family’s flat almost completely destroyed our belongings, those of my wife, my son and our dog.

Fortunately, when the fire broke out, my wife and the dog managed to escape from the flat, and my son was at school, so there were no casualties.

As I was returning home from the shop, a neighbour told me that my flat was on fire. I ran to the stairwell and started knocking on neighbours’ doors from the ground floor to the second floor, calling for help. The neighbours brought buckets and bowls. I didn’t think about what awaited me behind the door. I opened it and couldn’t see a thing. The whole hallway was filled with black smoke. With the neighbours’ help, I started putting out the fire in the kitchen, where flames were visible. We managed to get it under control and, thankfully, nothing exploded, thanks to the neighbours and those who carried water. Shortly afterwards, the fire brigade arrived on the scene and cut off the gas and electricity. They then opened the windows and began to extinguish the remaining flames and secure everything that was left.

Once again, I would like to thank my neighbours, those who helped put out the fire and those who alerted the neighbours on the upper floors to get out of the block, and of course the firefighters from the Żory Fire Service.

However, the fire destroyed all the contents of the flat: furniture, household appliances, clothes and other everyday items. Almost all the rooms were damaged, including the kitchen, the hall, two living rooms and the bathroom. In addition, five pairs of doors and a kitchen window were damaged (the glass was cracked and the frame melted and warped by the fire).

During the fire-fighting operation, the walls and floors were flooded. The electrical and plumbing systems were seriously damaged. One of the balcony windows needs replacing. The flat requires a complete refurbishment. We need to start with a very expensive, professional clean of the entire flat to remove soot and debris, carried out by an external company.

We, Adam, my wife Sylwia, my son Jakub and our dog Moris, are asking for financial support, emphasising that every donation makes a huge difference. The money will be used for professional cleaning of the flat to remove soot and ash, followed by new electrical, water and gas installations and a comprehensive renovation. The cost of restoring the flat to a usable condition is estimated at 120,000–150,000 zlotys. Please help us get back to normal – we ask for every zloty.