Gympie rallies for Samantha, Jono Stevens after family home destroyed by fire

A Gympie family who lost their home in a fire only weeks before Christmas have thanked the community for their response in the wake of the tragedy, which they believe was heartbreakingly started by the smallest of things.

Samantha, Jono, Savannah (9), and Lucus (5) Stevens lost their home at Tamaree, 8km north of Gympie, on Saturday, November 25, when it went up in flames shortly after midday.

A Gympie mother has opened up about the “shock” of discovering their new family home had burnt to the ground while they were enjoying a trip to Inskip.

Samantha, Jono, Savannah, and Lucus Stevens lost their home at Tamaree, 8km north of Gympie, on Saturday, November 25, when it went up in flames shortly after midday.

Multiple emergency crews raced to battle the blaze, but it had damaged three quarters of the single-story weatherboard home by the time they were finally able to extinguish it.

Mrs Stevens said the initial call from emergency services was heartbreaking.

“I was in shock at first,” she said.

“We had been having a great morning at Inskip with friends and of course it was the last thing we thought we would be getting a call about.

About 75 per cent of the Stevens family home at Tamaree was destroyed in the fire.

“Then when the police called again while we were driving home and said to expect the worst my heart sank.”

A QFES spokesman said the fire was “accidental”, caused by an electrical fault.

Mrs Stevens said they “believe it could have been the lithium battery in our daughter’s VTech smart watch”.

The cause of the fire likely coming from something so small was compounded by little time they had had to enjoy their home.

“We had worked so hard to get to the point of buying our next house and taking a step forward, and so lucky to find a brand new build and for it all to be gone so quickly only after just over a year of living there, it was devastating,” Mrs Stevens said,

“I had to keep driving even though I was bawling.”

The Stevens have been living with the parents of Mrs Steven’s family friend Jenny Williams.

Samantha Stevens said they believed the fire was started by a lithium battery in a smart watch.

She said the couple, Chris and Vicki, “are being extremely kind and letting us use their granny flat for a short time while we wait for more details on time frames from our insurance company”.

Mrs Stevens said the community’s support for the family in the wake of the fire was “heartwarming”.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by Mrs Steven’s sister-in-law Jo-Anna Dawson has raised so far raised more than $8000.

An update on the online campaign said the family had been able to shop for essentials through the help of the Gympie RSL, and Gympie Auto Air had fixed Mrs Stevens car free of charge.

They were not the only businesses to step in to help, either.

Mrs Stevens said the family intended to stay in the region they had lived in for nine years, first at Amamoor and then at Tamaree.

“We love our block and the location and still lovely and quiet out there,” Mrs Stevens said.

Originally published as Gympie rallies for Samantha, Jono Stevens after family home destroyed by fire