South Des Moines home gutted by fireworks

Michale (pronounced "Michelle")McDonald says she used to like fireworks. But the 4th of July may have changed that.  

Michale, her husband and son were in Texas, then Oklahoma last weekend, and weren't home at around 2am on July 4th when stray fireworks caused a blaze that gutted the inside of their home at 1202 Burnham on Des Moines' south side.

She says the fire went from the attic of the home to a corner of the living room and her son's room all the way to the basement.  Firefighters had to rip out the northwest corner of the living room wall to expose the fire.  The basement was nearly all destroyed by the fire.

Insurance investigators say they found the remnants of some kind of firework in the are of the main fire and outside as well.  Michale says no neighbors have come forward with any information as to who shot the fireworks off that ended up inside their home.

Michale and her family have been trying to sort through their belongings, much of which was destroyed by the fire or so smoke-damaged that they are not salvageable. Her son and husband lost most of their clothes, as the fire was hottest in the adjoining closets of their rooms.

For Michale and her daughter, it was very emotional. Shortly after coming home, Michale says she and her daughter went to see a commercial fireworks display to "get out" of the hotel room the family's staying in.  But the sight and the sound was too much, and they quickly became emotional.

The insurance company hasn't said how much of the damage they'll cover, but the family hopes to rebuild.  But Michale says they're worried that it won't cover replacing all they've lost.  A GoFundMe page has been set up to collect donations.  You can reach it by clicking here.