Family devastated by fire hold their heads up high

LESS than 12 hours after the Petrie family watched their home burn to the ground at Pie Creek, they were back at the site of the fire with brave faces.

ABOVE: The remains of a 127-year-old house shows the devastation that followed from a fire at Pie Creek on Monday. Picture: Frances Klein

LESS than 12 hours after the Petrie family watched their home burn to the ground at Pie Creek, they were back at the site of the fire with brave faces and support from family and friends.

The 127-year-old Queenslander in Coolabah Ct that had been home to Mary and Kevin Petrie and their growing children, three of whom still called it home, is now a collapsed and twisted shell of its former self.

Mr Petrie had been in the shed and the only person home when the blaze broke out on Monday afternoon about 4.30pm.

READ FULL STORY HERE: Pie Creek home destroyed by fire

A family friend said he had frantically tried to contact 000, but impossibly poor mobile reception from Telstra in the area and a home phone that already had a burnt out modem, delayed the response time.

When emergency services arrived on the scene the house was well ablaze, Gympie fire station officer Cameron Nicol said, and with an immediate water source hard to find, their only tack was to shield nearby properties from the danger.

Picture: MPS75

Mr Petrie was devastated by the loss, a family friend said.

"There's been a lot of blood, sweat, tears, bent nails and swearing gone into this house,” Mr Petrie reportedly said of the countless renovations he had done over the years on his two-storey home of 11 years.

Children Jesse, 23, Ebony, 19, and Taylor, 17, spoke with The Gympie Times, showing a remarkable sense of calm and acceptance as they watched investigating officers pick through the pile of black and smouldering debris that had been their home just the day before. The former James Nash siblings, who had spent the night in a motel with their parents, managed to joke about the party they would have once they rebuilt.

RECENT: Curra family watches in despair as house destroyed by fire

They also praised the community which had wrapped its arms around them since the fire.

Emergency workers, who not only fought tirelessly to control the blaze, had been a great comfort, as well as police officers.

The family was also touched by the response to a gofundme page set up by a neighbour, which had raised more than $2354 yesterday, and the generous donation of a car and second hand furniture by local businesses.

Mr Petrie wanted to thank the Gympie community.

"I was surprised how many people were coming to support us; neighbours and a lot of people we hadn't met before,” he said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. To donate go the the Petrie House Fire Fund here at gofundme.

House fire remains

VIEW GALLERY