CHICAGO — A family is picking up the pieces after a fire damaged several homes in the city’s Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Monday afternoon.

“I’m really devastated like my emotions are everywhere right now,” said Denise Swift-Jones, a homeowner whose house near 69th and Rockwell was damaged when the fire spread from a nearby vacant home.

Swift-Jones said two of her children were inside the house at the time the blaze spread.

“I was feeling scared because I didn’t know I was going to die or not,” said Blessing Lee, who escaped the blaze.

Blessing, who was inside at the time, says she is still shaken up. She said when she saw the flames, she ran from the house and asked a neighbor for help.

“For her to act the way that she did and not shut down, she didn’t panic, that’s a proud moment, Swift-Jones said.

Given the extensive damaged to the home, the Swift-Jones family says they believe most of their belongings were destroyed.

There was a large firefighter presence in the neighborhood as crews battled the fire, which broke out at the vacant house and spread to several nearby homes.

SkyCam9 was over the scene and spotted the house engulfed in flames with heavy smoke billowing from the roof.

The vacant home was destroyed in the fire.

“We were able to contain the fire to the building which obviously is a total loss, but we were able to save the building north and south,” Kelly Burns, CFD Deputy District Chief said.

There were several adults and children inside two of the three homes that caught fire, but everyone made it out safely.

Currently, it is unclear what caused the blaze and officials say an investigation is underway.

Anyone interested in donating to the family can do so via Cash App to the handles $ongbird1goddess or $lawjones50.