The Gums house fire: GoFundMe for Western Downs couple after family home gutted
Donations are flowing for a Western Downs couple after their family home of nearly 20 years was destroyed by an inferno, obliterating the entire property along with a lifetime of memories.
Dalby
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A Western Downs community has rallied around a well-loved couple after their family home of nearly 20 years was burnt to the ground in a mysterious fire.
Several fire crews arrived at the Humbug Road property in The Gums in the early hours of Saturday morning, finding the timber home engulfed in flames.
Erica Trevor and Les Trost thankfully escaped uninjured from the blaze, which tore through the property in a matter of minutes.
The couple have lost everything, but their neighbours and residents of the surrounding areas have opened up their hearts by contributing to their GoFundMe campaign.
Ms Trevor said they have nothing left, and needed help to start again.
“We have lost everything in our houses, and need help starting back up and [getting] back onto our feet,” she wrote on their GoFundMe page.
“We are battling … a little can go a long way.”
Up to 23 people have already donated to the devastated couple, with $3800 raised as of Monday morning.
Speaking at the site of the fire on Saturday, Ms Trevor said she had lost a lifetime of memories from the inferno but was glad she had the support of her family and friends.
“We’ve got some beautiful neighbours, and they’ve come out here to help us,” she said.
“My son came all the way from Chinchilla and made arrangements with a generator, while our friends brought the caravan out here.”
Their Blue Heeler Rambo is still yet to be found.
A Queensland Fire spokesman said an investigation into the cause of the fire has concluded, with the cause declared as undetermined.
“Due to the extent of the damage to the timber home and its location away from town, it took awhile for fireys to get there,” the spokesman said.
“It has however been deemed as non-suspicious.
“We were told working smoke alarms played a part in alerting the owners about the fire.”
If you’d like to donate to the GoFundMe, please head here.
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