Several Harrisburg high school students are raising money for their classmate and her family who lost everything in a house explosion in early January.
The fundraiser for the Shkinder family was held at Cici's Pizza off in Sioux Falls.
The students bussed tables for tips, which all went to the family. Sundae's and root beer floats were also available for a donation.
The high schoolers' goal was to raise $500, and they expected to exceed that amount by the end of the day.
Valentina Shkinder, one of the victims of the explosion, said that this event means a lot since they lost everything that day.
"It was pretty bad. Everything is gone and there is nothing left. We're living in a hotel and waiting for the insurance. They're still doing an investigation so it's not complete," she said.
When rescue crews got to the house last January, flames were already shooting through the roof.
The father and his daughter were home at the time of the explosion and both were injured. The father was burned severely enough to be taken to a burn center in Minneapolis, but today he is back in the area with his family.
Crews are still investigating but there was some talk about propane possibly leaking from a furnace or another appliance, but that has not been confirmed yet.
The house is a total loss, mainly because that explosion caused the walls to shift. Some walls also collapsed, causing the roof to come tumbling down.
