By Luke Voogt
Donations are flooding in for a Norlane family left with nothing after fire destroyed their home weeks after they moved in.
Social media was alight yesterday with offers of kitchen items, furniture, clothing, bedding and more.
Tamara Viccars was one of several neighbours in Waitara Grove collecting for the Fitzell family after fire gutted their home.
Ms Viccars was running out of room for donations as the Indy went to press yesterday afternoon.
“We’re just getting floods and floods of donations,” she said.
“I think we’ll be able to furnish an entire house for them.
“We’re going to replace all the kids’ Christmas presents because they lost everything the poor little things.“
The response showed the generosity of the Norlane community, Ms Viccars said.
“All my neighbours are completely lovely people and they just want to help.
“There are some things you simply can’t replace, like photos and that, so my heart goes out to them.”
Kylie Fitzell was about to shower with her sons Joel, 5, and Connor, 4, when they first noticed the fire. She fled to the backyard in a towel with her naked sons.
When they struggled to open the backyard gate neighbour Jess Gardner and her partner Cory Fedley smashed it down so they could escape.
“The woman ran back in because there was a dog inside and the kids followed,” Ms Gardner said. “So I had to chase the kids and get them out.”
The dog died but the family escaped, with Ms Fitzell and her eldest son sustaining minor burns.
The street was shrouded in smoke and the flames reached a more than metre above the roof of the house, Ms Gardner said, bathing the backyard in intense heat.
“You could hear the fire trucks but you couldn’t seem them until they were right next to you,” she said.
The heroic neighbour is also collecting donations for the family
“I’ve been bombarded with messages of people wanting to help. I haven’t lived here very long myself but this just shows how strong the community is.”
A teary Ms Fitzell was blown away by the response.
“Even strangers I’ve never met are donating left, right and centre,” she said.
“If not for them I don’t know what we would have done – we would have been homeless with nothing.”
“That’s why I’m proud to live in Geelong – everyone just gets together and helps when someone needs it.”
Ms Fitzell has nominated Jess Gardner and Mr Fedley for a bravery award.
“Before I could get out they were already there. They were absolutely brilliant.”
Emergency services received a call at 12.37pm and fire crews took about 40 minutes to get the fire under control, Corio Police Sergeant Andrew Rolfe said.
“As far as we are concerned it was started by an electrical fault from a dryer,” he said.
Local residents have set up a donations page for the family at www.gofundme.com/help-nickkylie-rebuild-their-lives.
