Family whose house was condemned after chimney collapse says insurance denied claim

PITTSBURGH — A chimney collapsed while a family was inside a house on the South Side. The homeowner tells Channel 11 she’s heartbroken because she grew up in this house.

Darlene Takis and her family are struggling after their lives were uprooted earlier this week. Exclusive video shows the devastating damage inside their home along South 17th Street after the chimney collapsed.

Takis said overnight on Sunday into Monday, she heard a strange noise and called 911. The fire department arrived and called a building inspector. The homeowner says the inspector told the family to get out because it was unsafe. An hour later, while the family was packing up their things, the chimney fell. The homeowner says her daughter and four grandchildren were inside at the time.

“My heart was like broke because I didn’t know if they were okay upstairs and then I saw the little one run downstairs and felt so relieved and they all came running out we were alive at least,” Takis said.

It’s still unclear what led to the collapse. Thankfully no one was hurt. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army are now helping them.

“The Red Cross really helped out a lot when others wouldn’t so we have a GoFundMe page set up that’s doing well,” Takis’s grandson Theodore Zouloufos said.

The family set up a GoFundMe page because they say their insurance denied their claim and nothing is being covered.

After Saturday, they have no where to stay. They hired a public adjuster to look into their policy and are trying to figure out their next steps.

“She took over the house from her mom, she’s been paying that insurance for years and years, for her not to get help in this time of need it’s crazy to me you pay all that money you feel like you have some insurance but then have nothing,” Zouloufos said.

They are looking into renting an Airbnb until they can figure things out with their insurance. They are also hoping to be able to get some of their personal items out of the house.

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