On September 11, the Folkard family lost everything when their Narara home went up in flames and family members have set up a Gofundme page to help them rebuild their lives.
At around 4pm Teresa Folkard and her 12-year-old autistic son, Harry, were at home when a fire started in the garage.
Her husband, Kirk, and their other son,, Jack were out at the time.
Folkard’s sister, Anne Sutton, said the fire quickly engulfed the house, almost trapping Folkard and her son inside.
“With the assistance of neighbours they managed to get out but unfortunately the fire completely took over the house,” Sutton said.
“The fire fighters said that they thought that it may have been to do with the chargers in the garage.
“Police attended and completed their investigation, with nothing suspicious found.
“The house was completely gutted and they lost everything in the fire.
“Thankfully they are insured and still have their cars.
“They were able to get emergency accommodation and are now working through the painful insurance process of rebuilding.
“Insurance is unlikely to cover the full cost of repairs.”
Sutton said the insurance company has said in its preliminary assessment that the house will need to be rebuilt although they may be able to reuse one or two of the external walls pending the engineers’ report.
Sutton and her other sister, Mary Keehan, have started a Gofundme page which had attracted $3,300 in donations as we went to press.
“Teresa, her husband Kirk, and their sons Jack and Harry now must begin the painstaking process of grieving for what they had and begin on the path of rebuilding their lives and home,” she said.
“They are in need of immediate funds for housewares and furnishings, clothing, jackets and shoes, food and school supplies.
“They are also very grateful for prayer, so please support them in any way you can.
“Teresa and her family have always been generous with their home and hearts, and I hope we can pull together and share with them in return during their time of immense need.”
The Gofundme page can be found at https://gofund.me/a9800d8c.
Terry Collins