"This doesn't seem real to me:" Family grieves death of man in Cudahy house fire

CUDAHY (WITI) -- Firefighters in Cudahy tried to rescue a person who was trapped behind a wall of flames. But once the fire was doused, they found the body of a middle-aged man inside.

FOX6 News spoke with the daughter of the man who lived in the home. She believes her father perished in the fire. His brother was outside shoveling when the home caught fire.

"He was the greatest dad that anybody would ever have and he was always my rock," said Nine Gaber, who is struggling at the thought of living without her father, David Gaber. "In complete shock. This doesn't seem real to me. My dad fought for five years to battle cancer. He made  it through that. To believe that this could happen just doesn't seem real."

Firefighters were called to the home on E. Mallory Ave. around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday after a fire broke out. Fire officials say they had trucks on the scene within two minutes. But they say the front room was in flames.

"I can't imagine he wouldn't have tried to escape," said Gaber. "Being that he just got done with chemo and radiation, maybe it could be he was weak and maybe he couldn't make it out the house and tried to."

Nina Gaber said her dad was a sports fan, a Harley-Davidson enthusiast and a beloved grandfather.

"I was pretty much daddy's girl," said Gaber. "He was a great father, loved his three grandkids. Do anything for anybody they ever wanted. He surely loved riding his motorcycle."

While Nina Gaber feels certain it is her father who perished in the fire, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner has yet to positively identify the body and determine the exact cause of death.

Unfortunately, Gaber did not have life insurance. So while the family works on funeral plans, it has set up a fundraising site on GoFundMe.com. Since her dad loved motorcycles, it is fitting the page is called "Dad's Bike Ride to Peace."