Over $16,000 Raised in a Day for Belarusians Alena and Kristof, Whose Rented Apartment Burned Down in Warsaw

Alena Askerka and Kristof Lebapa

Belarusian IT specialists Alena Askerka and Kristof Lebapa live in Warsaw. They moved from Minsk five years ago and have been renting the same one-room apartment ever since. Alena is currently not working and is looking for a new job.

April 15th, Kristof's birthday, will be a day they remember for a long time. In the evening, they went to the store for groceries, and when they returned half an hour later, they saw black smoke coming from their window.

Alena and Kristof called the firefighters and rushed into the apartment to save their two cats — who had moved with them from Belarus.

Павялічыць

They say Zhopik came out immediately when called. His paw was burnt. But Liza didn't respond. The owners had to run out to the stairwell several times to breathe fresh air before returning to the fire-engulfed apartment. Finally, they found the second cat; she was lying in the kitchen and wasn't moving.

As a result, both cats were taken to a veterinary clinic. They were placed in oxygen boxes because their respiratory tracts were damaged.

The firefighters arrived within five minutes and started extinguishing the fire. They succeeded, but according to Alena, about 95% of their belongings burned down — including electronics, clothes, documents, and money.

Павялічыць

Alena had two Belarusian passports, a regular one and a biometric one. One of them burned. Kristof's Belarusian passport also burned, but he also has Polish citizenship.

Rescuers explained to the Belarusians that the fire might have been caused by a vacuum cleaner battery, but the official document did not specify, simply stating that some household appliance caught fire.

The apartment's owner also arrived at the scene. The property itself is insured, as are the owner's belongings. However, there are questions regarding the Belarusians' belongings — most likely, they are not covered by insurance. And it's generally unclear whether they themselves will be blamed for the fire.

Павялічыць

Alena and Kristof are now staying with friends. They have launched a fundraiser — money is needed for rent, to buy new belongings, and, of course, for the cats' treatment.

Within the first day, nearly 1000 people supported the Belarusians. Almost $17,000 has already been raised, although they initially set a target of $10,000. The fundraiser continues.

"We were advised to update the fundraising amount because people are incredibly responsive, and we were already approaching the initial sum. We have no goal of restoring what was lost, let alone making a profit, but this is incredible support and at least some sense of security. We can't believe the support we are receiving from people today. Although, of course, we wish this had never happened to us," says Alena.

Liza had to be left in the hospital with an IV drip for her kidneys and in an oxygen box because she got worse. Zhopik, however, is stable, though very scared.

You can help the Belarusians and their cats here.

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