Elderly Shailer Park couple left homeless after fire rips through Plantain Rd property

An elderly couple is in shock after their beloved cat perished in a fire which gutted their family home. WATCH THE VIDEO OF FIREYS AT THE SCENE

An elderly Logan couple is trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after losing their house and beloved cat in a devastating fire this week.

Maria and Angelo Crisante were forced to watch from the front yard as flames licked the side of their two-storey Shailer Park house on Monday.

Maria and Angelo Crisante have been forced to look for temporary accommodation after their Shailer Park house was razed to the ground, killing their beloved cat, Vinnie

They evacuated quickly and Maria, 64, was taken away to be treated for shock.

A desperate search around the property failed to find their young cat Vinnie.

However, the cat’s body was retrieved from under a mattress among the charred rubble on Tuesday.

The family escaped with only the clothes they were wearing and their car, which was parked in the driveway.

Unfortunately, the keys to their silver SUV melted in the fire, stranding them without a car.

Maria and Angelo Crisante have been forced to look for temporary accommodation after their Shailer Park house was razed to the ground, killing their beloved cat, Vinnie.

Within minutes, the house and all its contents went up in flames, leaving the couple and their 30-year-old son, Matthew, homeless and grieving the loss of their cat.

The couple have moved in with their daughter, Carina, while they work out how to rebuild.

Family friend Estelle Andersen set up a GoFundMe page to help the shocked family raise enough cash to get them back on their feet.

“They were fortunate to escape the inferno that engulfed their home though sadly, they lost their beloved cat among the chaos,” Mrs Andersen said.

“They left their house, along with all of their possessions, with only the clothes on their backs.

“We are humbly asking for donations — any amount will be appreciated and will go a long way to helping this family to seek temporary accommodation and start to rebuild their lives.”

The split-level home, on Plantain Rd, Shailer Park, was ablaze when fire trucks arrived on the scene just after 5.30pm.

A car in the driveway of a house gutted by fire on Plantain Rd, Shailer Park PHOTO: Jeni Faulkner

Fireys on Plantain Rd at Shailer Park where a family’s home was gutted when fire ripped through the split-level house on Monday afternoon. PHOTO: Jeni Faulkner

Logan House Fire and Rescue Service’s Louise Naumovski said nobody was injured in the blaze.

A special fire crane was used to get over the top of the burning building on Plantain Rd, Shailer Park on Monday. PHOTO: Jeni Faulkner

Neighbours look on as fireys in a 12m crane hose down the blaze on Plantain Rd at Shailer Park. PHOTO: Jeni Faulkner

The fire spewed plumes of black smoke across the suburb and nearby high school.

Roads in the area were cordoned off as firefighters fought the blaze for more than an hour while residents in the street did all they could to divert traffic before police arrived on scene.

The cause is still under investigation but neighbours said the house ignited quickly.

Originally published as Elderly Shailer Park couple left homeless after fire rips through Plantain Rd property