COMMUNITY RALLY TO SUPPORT LOCAL FAMILY WHO LOST EVERYTHING IN HOUSE FIRE

On Sunday evening Alannah Dawson’s worst nightmare came true when she returned to her street and saw black smoke billowing from her house. The mother of four had been out with the family for the day so fortunately no-one was home when the house caught fire, but within an hour of arriving, it was evident that all their belongings were destroyed.

Despite the trauma and tragedy, however, Allanah has nothing but appreciation for the people that have been by her side throughout – from close friends to colleagues, an off-duty fire fighter and complete strangers who donated $10.

“They say bad times always bring out the best in people, and we’ve really felt that over the last few days.”

Allanah Dawson with her four children, Jai, Miley and twin babies Kayleigh and Brody. The family lost everything in a house fire on Sunday evening. Photo supplied

FAMILY THANKFUL AFTER HEARTBREAKING HOUSE FIRE

It was Sunday evening around 6pm when local mum Allanah returned to her house where she resides with her four children, Jai (7), Miley (6) and nine-month old twins Kayleigh and Brody.

She had returned home from a day out, eager to let the dogs back into the house, when she pulled around the corner to see what looked like smoke billowing out of the building.

At first she thought it was a backyard fire, but as she drew close she realised the worst had happened; her home was on fire.

“My immediate reaction was to open the front door to see if I could do anything,” recalls Allanah.

“As soon as I opened the front door a wash of black smoke and heat came out – it was so hot it burnt my eyes!”

“At that point I realised this was pretty big and I needed to call triple zero.”

While she was waiting for QLD Fire Services (QFS) to arrive, an off-duty fire fighter who happened to be in the area came onto the property and offered to help.

With a household fire extinguisher, he entered the building and started to bring the fire under control.

“He was there for about 20 minutes before the firies arrived and, without him, I don’t know what would have happened,” shared Allanah.

Fortunately, QFS were quick to the scene and within an hour the fire was completely extinguished. The house, however, was deemed unliveable - everything was either saturated or destroyed - and Allanah was told she would not be able to stay.

With no belongings and still in shock from everything that had unfolded, Allanah reached out to friends. Her children’s father lived close-by and was able to provide shelter and familiarity for the children in the immediate aftermath.

The following day, the community outpouring of support gained momentum as people discovered what had happened.

Allanah said she found each phone call, donation and offer of support truly humbling.

She would like to thank her boss, Keith, at Sailing Whitsundays, and all her work colleagues for helping her set-up a GoFundMe page.

She would also like to thank her two close friends Nadine Little and Wylie Jones for everything they have done.

In addition, the staff at BIG W (where her mum worked for 17 years before she passed away  in 2022) for setting up a donation box and jumping into action.

“The community has been amazing, and we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else at a time like this,” Allanah expressed.

“We’ve lost a lot, but it’s been made a lot easier to move forward because of the generosity and kindness of the people around us.

“We’d like to thank everyone who donated – people have donated $10 and I know what it’s like to have no money, times are tough – so thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

It is believed the fire started from the stove in the kitchen and investigations are looking into the possibility a cat may have jumped on the stove-top and accidentally turned it on.

The damage from the fire is most significant in the kitchen and extended up into the roof and over to the lounge and dining room.

Alarmingly, Allanah’s oldest son’s bedroom was right next to the kitchen, with the bed against the kitchen wall.

“After I saw the damage to his bed, I vowed I would never put a bed next to the kitchen ever again,” she said.

Allanah returned to the property the following day with a real estate representative and she expressed how helpful and compassionate Ray White have been throughout the process.

“They have been absolutely amazing!” she said.

“They’ve already found a suitable property for us to move into which has taken such a massive stress off my shoulders, they have been really accommodating.”

Despite having to start from scratch, Allanah said there were a few sentimental items she was able to salvage.

“There were photos from when my mum passed away two years ago, all her childhood photos that had no digital copies,” said Allanah.

“We were able to get in and get them the following day, they were a bit burnt around the edges and wet from the hoses, but we were able to separate them and save the majority.”

On Wednesday this week the children were able to return to school with donated school uniforms and new school bags – despite the trauma and shock still raw with the family, this moment represented a small piece of normalcy returning and a slow, steady rise towards a happier future ahead.

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Queensland Fire Services attended the scene and extinguished the fire on Sunday night. Photo supplied

The kitchen where the fire started. Photo supplied

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