Delco community helping family displaced by house fire
MARPLE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- A Delaware County family lost their home in a Christmas day fire. A quick thinking mother managed to get her children out of the burning home just in time on Cedar Grove Road in Marple Township.
CBS3 spoke with that mother Monday. She wasn't ready to go on camera, but told Eyewitness News she woke up to her dog barking and found the front porch was on fire.
She quickly got her four kids out of the house before part of the roof collapsed. Her 17-year-old suffered minor burns, but everyone is doing OK.
And on Monday night, the community is helping the family – showing the true meaning of Christmas.
"The entire house was up to flames like almost shooting out the top of the house through the roof," Clare Coladonato, a neighbor, said.
Fast-moving flames tore through a home Christmas morning with a family sleeping inside. A mother and her four kids ran for their lives as neighbors called 911 and raced to help get everyone out.
"We were just devastated," Coladonato said. "I just had my rosary beads and I was praying for the family."
The home is now left gutted. You can see clear through the house, and charred beams are now frozen over. The grill was toppled over in the front yard and almost entirely encased in ice.
The fire ignited around 1 a.m. on the 1100 block of Cedar Grove road in Marple Township, Delaware County. Firefighters battled those flames for hours in subfreezing temperatures.
"They have nothing," Jay Borrelli said. "No clothes and her car melted in the driveway."
Borrelli is friends with the family, and has helped re-model parts of the home.
Now, he's working to raise money and is spreading the word through social media to help collect donations.
"It was Christmas morning. I'm sitting there just trying to figure out what I can do to get them Christmas presents and to get them their life back," Borelli said.
By Christmas night, the Delaware County Park Police and a team of first responders delivered Christmas presents to the family after they were treated and released from four different hospitals.
Their home is now destroyed, but neighbors and complete strangers are now rallying together to help this family bounce back.
"Delco is a place everybody loves, we are Delco strong," Borelli said.
The family is now staying with loved ones, but one of their dogs and two kittens are still missing.
Amber told me she wants to thank all the first responders for their hard work, as well as everyone in the community for their love and support.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.