(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A west suburban curling club is facing a lengthy road to recovery after a fire earlier this week. One member says they may be down, but they’re certainly not out.
“It’s taken an emotional toll on us,” says Eric Reithel, board secretary for Windy City Curling in Villa Park.
It was business as usual at the club Monday night, but a fire in the lighting store above the club had a fire that took hours to put out. Reithel says water came pouring into the curling club in the basement below.
“That completely flooded our warm room, which is what we call the space to share a drink and stories and become friends. It destroyed the furniture, the couches. A lot of the carpeting in there has to now be torn out.”
The worst part, he said, is the damage to the building’s ice house, which will take at least two months to repair.
However, Reithel says the story could still have a warm ending.
“Just as immediately as hearts were broken, people started stepping up to say, ‘How can we help? How can we volunteer? How can we get you guys back to playing?’”
In its first day, a GoFundMe had raised more than $20,000.
“We have friends everywhere. To have our friends have our backs at a time when we need them, it’s beyond moving.”
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