Young bride plunged into hellish nightmare moments before wedding...but now realizes she was lucky
A bride in Illinois was faced with a horror situation when her home exploded into flames moments before her wedding. Eleni Vrettos, 32, was still in her wedding dress just before 5pm on Saturday as she watched smoke pour from her childhood home in Cicero. 'I ran here in my wedding dress, like down the alley, and was watching from a neighbor's yard,' she told WSAV. 'Everything was just smoke at that point.' But Vrettos's wedding had saved her family from being caught in the explosion. 'What we realized was that had Tom and I not been married just a few hours ago, we and my family members would've been dead because we would've been home as normal on a weekend,' she wrote on Facebook.'The wedding ceremony saved our lives.' All relatives who lived at the home were at her wedding ceremony when the incident happened. One unidentified person, however, was found among the rubble. Eleni Vrettos, 32, was still in her wedding dress just before 5pm on Saturday as she watched smoke pour from her childhood home in Cicero. She had just married the 'love of her life' before her home was left in ashes 'What we realized was that had Tom and I not been married just a few hours ago, we and my family members would've been dead because we would've been home as normal on a weekend,' Vrettos said 'Rather than taking our family photos and joining our wedding guests at the reception, my husband and I drove to the home that once stood to witness it in shambles,' she wrote. 'From a neighbor's yard, I witnessed the smoke and smog and filled my lungs with the charcoal smell'The abrupt explosion happened just after 4.50pm and was caught on surveillance cameras from nearby homes and businesses. Bricks and debris were seen hurtling across the road, hitting cars and nearby buildings. Within seconds, the home went up in flames and became engulfed in smoke. Just minutes beforehand Vrettos had celebrated her wedding and married 'the love of her life.' She started getting phone calls around ten minutes after the explosion. 'We weren't sure if it was us, obviously, either way, we were devastated to know it was near us,' Vrettos said. 'My niece left the church. She confirmed that, yes, it was our house.' Vrettos said that her 'mind went numb' as she tried to process the heartbreak and was in utter disbelief. 'Rather than taking our family photos and joining our wedding guests at the reception, my husband and I drove to the home that once stood to witness it in shambles,' she wrote. 'From a neighbor's yard, I witnessed the smoke and smog and filled my lungs with the charcoal smell.' 'There was no way my babies made it out in that instant explosion and engulfed in flames,' Vrettos said. 'While my first instinct was to run to the rubble to search for my angels, we obviously were told we couldn't be there and there was nothing to be done' 'This home was more than just a house - it was where Eleni grew up, where she and Tom had moved in to start their new life together, and where the family had built countless memories over the years,' the GoFundMe saidBut aside from her wedding and losing her home, her mind turned to the beloved cats in the home. 'There was no way my babies made it out in that instant explosion and engulfed in flames,' she said. 'While my first instinct was to run to the rubble to search for my angels, we obviously were told we couldn't be there and there was nothing to be done.' Vrettos's cats, Graham, Bambi, Reya and Tucker were 'literally her world.' Her mothers' cats, Grey and Old Boy, were also in the home. Aside from the devastating loss of her family pets, Vrettos and her family were left without a home and a mountain of insurance trouble. 'I truly have no idea what we are going to do when it comes to the near future because there is so much at play with the "unknown." Recently, my brother and I had transferred the home ownership from our mom to us, and we had not yet secured home insurance – call it irresponsible if you will and shame us for that mistake, but we can’t undo our error,' she said. Vrettos added that they had plans to renovate the home, fixing some 'long overdue' repairs, and they had already recently paid for a new roof and new interior support beams. 'But in literally a blink of an eye, everything we had worked towards fell to ashes,' she said. Cicero officials believe the explosion was caused from a gas leak, and the incident affected a total of 11 units and families. Vrettos's cats, Graham, Bambi, Reya and Tucker were 'literally her world.' Her mothers' cats, Grey and Old Boy, were also in the home Cicero officials believe the explosion was caused from a gas leak, and the incident affected a total of 11 units and families 'All I have left are the memories. Goodbye to the only home I’ve ever known, and rest in peace to the loves of my life,' Vrettos said A GoFundMe for the family was started to help them rebuild and cover the costs of the damage. 'This home was more than just a house - it was where Eleni grew up, where she and Tom had moved in to start their new life together, and where the family had built countless memories over the years,' the fundraiser said. 'Now they have lost everything - their belongings, their keepsakes, and the place they called home.' The fundraiser has raised over $40,000 to help the family restart their lives. 'The Vrettos family has always been kind, generous, and full of love - now they need our support more than ever. We pray that this fundraiser provides them some solace through the pain as they navigate this heartbreaking loss.' The home also holds memories of her father, who died in 2022. 'I am scared. I am worried. I am lost. My stomach is in knots,' Vrettos said. 'If by some miracle, my little babies were able to escape, please be on the lookout for these precious fur babies. In all this pain and misery, they would be the only thing to bring back any ounce of joy.' 'All I have left are the memories. Goodbye to the only home I’ve ever known, and rest in peace to the loves of my life.'
