Two online GoFundMe fundraisers have been set up for the family left devastated when their Wonder Lake home exploded on Sunday night.
Helping the Patnaude Family Recover and Heal was created by Janson Cynowa of Wonder Lake. Help the Patnaude Family Recover was created by Ryen Austin of Crystal Lake. Both can be found at gofundme.com.
[ See more photos from the Wonder Lake house explosion and cleanup ]
The online site identifies the family who lived in the home as Dean and Sandra Patnaude, and their son, Andrew Patnaude. According to those family friends, Sandra Patnaude is the person who was killed in the blast.
Authorities have not officially identified the family, other than saying a woman was killed at that two men, ages 76 and 28, were taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood for serious injuries.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office said Monday that official identification of the “Jane Doe” killed is pending further testing, based on the victim’s extensive burn injuries.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Austin said he has worked with Andrew Patnaude for several years, adding, “He is like a brother to me. We are together every day of the week.”
The last Austin’s heard, from another Patnaude family member, is that Andrew Patnaude woke up Monday evening at the hospital.
“He is walking and talking and in good spirits,” Austin said.
Andrew Patnaude also was badly burned and is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, Austin added.
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“Right now, they urgently need help covering medical expenses and finding temporary housing. The funds raised will go directly toward supporting their recovery, helping them secure a safe place to stay, and easing the burden of medical bills as they work to get back on their feet,” Austin wrote in his online plea.
In Cynowa’s post his GoFundMe page, he said he’s known the family for 30 years, adding “they are very good people and have been members of our community for probably as long as my family has been here.”
He knows Dean Patnaude through his work in construction, Cynowa said, adding that Dean recently had contacted his company, C&C Heating and Air Conditioning, to work on the cooling system.
“It is the kind of town, you would see each other driving down the street and wave,” Cynowa said
As of Tuesday afternoon, the two fundraisers had brought in $7,270 and were asking for a combined $28,000.
Cynowa and Austin spoke on Tuesday regarding the two fundraisers. Cynowa said it doesn’t matter which account people donate to, since “we are in this together.”
No further information about the blast, including what may have caused it, has been released by officials.
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