CFA volunteer and scout leader Chelsea Guymer’s Rosebud home destroyed by mysterious fire

A CFA volunteer and her mother have lost everything in a Rosebud house fire, and are taking refuge at a local Scouts hall as they attempt to rebuild their lives.

Rosebud woman Chelsea Guymer, 27, lost everything, including special items of sentimental value, when her home went up in flames on January 27. Picture: Supplied

A Rosebud CFA volunteer and her mother have been forced to seek shelter at the local Scouts hall after their home was destroyed in an Australia Day long weekend fire.

Chelsea Guymer, 27, had to quickly evacuate her home and save her pets on January 27 when her house was engulfed by flames — destroying almost everything — including “priceless” artefacts and collectibles that held “immense sentimental value”.

The dedicated Rosebud Sea Scouts leader, volunteer and manager at Saint Vincent de Paul said it was heartbreaking for herself and her mother, Michelle, to leave their pets in the care of others while they rebuild their lives.

“Having to leave our animals … that sucked the most,” Ms Guymer said.

“We’re trying to find properties and then getting denied for them because we’re trying to find a rental and it’s just, I don’t know, it seems really unfair.”

The fire caused severe damage to Ms Guymer’s home. Picture: Supplied

Ms Guymer said the fire “spared” the structure of the house, but the smoke and ash damage made the property home “unsalvageable”, and she couldn’t put a dollar figure on the total damages.

“Everything — most things in the lounge room have been destroyed because of the smoke and ash,” Ms Guymer said.

“My sister collects a lot of high value items — we keep those in the dining room and everything in there has been lost.

“We’ve lost her whole collection.”

Ms Guymer said it was awful that many items in the home could not be replaced.

Ms Guymer and her mother Michelle are staying in the Rosebud Sea Scouts hall. Picture: Supplied

“You can get furniture and stuff but not sentimental things — we had stuff from my grandparents,” she said.

Ms Guymer said there were safety risks going back to the house as it was made with asbestos.

“Obviously that poses a risk to us if we do enter the house — so we have to be fully masked up when we go in,” she said.

“We just had to leave with what we had and I was in the house when it caught fire.

“l ran in and out and got my pets and we found shelter for the night, but other than that, we didn’t leave with anything but the clothes on our backs.”

Ms Guymer said she was unsure what caused the house fire.

“After an investigation in a few weeks and we find a new residence, we should know,” she said.

Ms Guymer has organised a GoFundMe page to help herself and her mother to find a roof over their heads.

“To make matters even tougher, the local council is insisting we remove a skip bin in front of our property or face heavy fines,” Ms Guymer wrote in the fundraiser.

“Your contributions will go towards finding a new place to call home, replacing essential belongings and addressing the urgent council demands.

“Every bit makes a difference — let’s come together as a community to lift us from this devastating situation.”

The Shire of Mornington Peninsula has been contacted for comment.