‘So glad we weren’t in there’: Family’s dream home destroyed by fire before Christmas move-in

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - A Nebraska family says they have lost their dream home in a fire, but they are finding a silver lining in that no one was hurt.

The Lukowski family was renovating the home they purchased in September when it went up in flames on Wednesday morning.

“We were just so close to moving in. This is my first time seeing it,” Conner Lukowski said while visiting what is left of the house.

They had been working with contractors to complete renovations in time for the family’s first Christmas in their forever home.

Family members say the unfinished project now seems like a blessing.

“I’m so glad we weren’t in there. I’m so thankful my kids weren’t in there and our animals weren’t in there, but it’s going to be a lot to rebuild,” Lukowski said. “I mean, I hope we can.”

The family has been living in a rental house during renovations on their home, so they already have a place to stay after the fire.

But it has been a difficult year for them, not only because of the fire but also because Lukowski’s husband has been battling cancer.

In March, Brian Lukowski was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

“He’s done with chemo, he’s cancer-free that we know of, and we’re celebrating every day, so it feels a lot like this is a lot, but you know we’ve been through worse,” Conner Lukowski said.

While fire destroyed the family’s dream home before they could enjoy it, Conner Lukowski has a never-give-up spirit.

“We’ll be OK. We’ll figure it out, we’ll figure it out,” she said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Lukowski family rebuild. In less than 24 hours after the fire, more than $22,000 had been raised.

Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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