Karen Johnson says she lost everything in a massive fire that tore through her Boerum Hill apartment. 

"There was a time up on the roof when I thought I was going to be gone. You feel lucky to be alive, but then the other half of you wants to go back to my home,” said Johnson. 

Johnson recalls the event as terrifying as she watched her apartment turn to rubble. 

"It was huge, and it was so fast. Thirty seconds and my apartment was pitch black,” said Johnson. 

She says the most sentimental items inside her home are now reduced to ash. Johnson and other tenants are now picking up the pieces after losing everything, but a GoFundMe started by Council Member Lincoln Restler has raised over $12,000 in just two days. 

"You wake up one morning and life is normal, and by the middle of the day you've lost every possession you've ever owned. From buying sheets to figuring out how to rent a new home, to doing everything in between, people need help right now,” said Restler. 

Johnson says she’s thankful for a new chance at life but doesn’t know what comes next.