A Rothes mum who lost everything in a fire last week has thanked the community for rallying round.
Donna Thomas had been dropping her daughter Kaitlyn off at Speyside High School when the fire broke out at her home on Breich Street on Friday.
Four crew spent more than two hours battling the fire, and managed to rescue the family’s five-month-old kitten.
Last night, Miss Thomas revealed the whole house had been “devastated” – and said the family, including partner Ryan Milne, had lost all their belongings except a small box of photographs and the clothes on their back.
She added it was lucky nobody was in the property at the time.
The nurse, who works at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin, said: “It was just a normal day, Kaitlyn was getting ready for an exam at school and luckily we decided to leave early so she could talk to her teachers.
“I returned and could hear a smoke alarm from somewhere and I sub-consciously knew my house was on fire but when I opened the front door, I was shocked.
“It’s all still a bit hazy to me, but I remember sitting watching the fire, helplessly watching as all my things went up in smoke.”
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She visited the house yesterday, and thanked locals and the council for trying to help them get back on her feet.
“We are getting there slowly, I don’t think the severity of the situation has sunk in yet as we are all still a bit shell-shocked,” she said.
“The house is completely devastated along with everything in it, leaving us left with just the clothes on our back and a small box of photos which we were grateful to salvage.
“We have no work clothes anymore, its all just the little things that we need to sort out before we can be OK again.”
The Rothes community has launched a crowdfunder to support the family, with hundreds of pounds already raised.
The family had originally been staying with Miss Thomas’ parents, but have now been moved into temporary accommodation.
Miss Thomas hopes to move on as soon as they can.
She said: “The house is completely uninhabitable now so we have to start again.
“It is a relief that no one was in the house as possessions can be replaced but family members cannot and we will have to move on, although it will be difficult to do so until we get a new permanent place.
“Without the great support from everyone who have rallied around us it would be tough to do, but we have had brilliant help and I want to thank everyone who have supported us.”
A crowdfunder has been launched to support the family and you can donate at:
