When Amie Abbott’s Dapto property caught alight last Sunday, the mother-of-three could do nothing but watch the fire gut her beloved home.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ms Abbott looked on from a neighbour’s front lawn as her Burke Road home was engulfed by flames in just minutes, taking everything except the clothes on her back, some photo albums and her stillborn daughter’s ashes with it.
A week later, Ms Abbott, her husband, Damien and their three young children, Claire, Liana and Jacob, are slowly starting to rebuild their lives – with much-needed help from the community.
The couple have been overwhelmed by the generous outpouring of support from strangers, fielding countless offers of clothes, household goods and toys for their children.
Ms Abbott said Dapto Anglican Church had opened its op shop the day after the fire, allowing the family to select clothing straight off the shelves, while their daughters’ school had organised a fund-raiser last Friday.
‘‘It’s just amazing the amount of people who have donated clothes and toys,’’ she said.
‘‘The girls go to Mt Brown Public School and the school organised for the kids to bring in $1. All the money will be given to the girls in the form of a Big W gift card so they can pick out toys and books.
‘‘It’s really lovely – I feel like it doesn’t matter for us [parents], but it’s more for the kids.’’
The couple, who are now living with family members in Berkeley, were shocked by how quickly the fire ravaged their home, giving them only a few minutes to get their family to safety.
‘‘My friend and I were in the backyard playing with the kids, while Damien and Jacob were downstairs working on the bike,’’ Ms Abbott said.
‘‘Damien suddenly ran out the back door and told us to get the kids out; my friend and I looked at each other and then we heard the smoke alarm – we heard the alarm before we saw the smoke rising through the roof.
‘‘It would have been seconds until we saw the flames; it was like the fire just ignited on its own.
‘‘My husband picked up my son and ran; it was so hot that it singed the hairs on one of his arms and legs.
‘‘We went out the front and just watched it burn ... there was nothing we could do.’’
Ms Abbott praised the work of firefighters who managed to save some photo albums and the ashes of her daughter, who was stillborn in 2006.
‘‘Everything went up, except for this one cupboard. We were very lucky’’ she said.
‘‘When the firies arrived, I told them where the albums and ashes were and they managed to get them out before the fire got to them.
‘‘I was freaking out – even the photos could have been replaced – other people have some photos – but I never would have got those ashes back.
‘‘They’re irreplaceable.’’
