By JOLENE OGLE
A LOCAL woman has described the day her “whole life was torn apart” after she watched her family home burn to the ground in Peregian Beach on Friday 29 July.
Katie Walker, along with her parents and two siblings, lost everything in the fire that destroyed their Lakeshore Place home, including their beloved 11-year-old family dog.
“This is something I don’t wish upon anyone in the world,” she said in a Facebook post.
“The loss of my home, my dog and 1000 memories that can’t be replaced. My parents built this house 20 years ago, and it breaks my heart to see all their hard work being torn away from them.”
Katie said her family were distraught at the loss of their family home and pet, and had since launched a Go-Fund-Me campaign to help raise much-needed funds to support her family.
“Seeing your home burn down in front of your eyes along with every other piece of your belongings is heartbreaking,” she said.
“I just want my family to have some financial aid while we figure out our next step.”
Fire crews were called out to the home at 9.45am on Friday, but when the eight crews arrived the two-storey Queenslander was completely engulfed in flames.
Investigations are still underway into the cause of the fire, but the locals are now rallying around the family to help raise $10,000 for them to get back on their feet.
Katie said the family had been surviving on one income after her father suffered an illness.
“My dad has not been working for years due to illness, so our primary income is from our mum, who works so hard day after day,” she said.
Anyone who would like to donate can visit www.gofundme.com/2h3a4rfw.
