It is not easy to keep a smile on your face after a fire destroys your home.
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But that is what Wagga woman Rebecca Peel and her family are determined to do.
The Lake Albert-based family were at the cricket on Friday night when they received the harrowing news.
There had been a fire.
“It was a shock,” Ms Peel said. “But all we could do was stand back and watch.”
Firefighters, paramedics and police were called to the Cummins Road home at about 7.22pm to find it 50 per cent alight.
After two hours, the inferno was extinguished.
The mother-of-two said no words could express the family’s gratitude.
“We would like to thank the emergency services who came out to help,” Ms Peel said. “They did a great job.”
Following an investigation, Wagga police said they believed the fire had been caused by an overheated pedestal fan.
While it was fortunate no one was home at the time, Ms Peel said what wasn’t burned by the flames or melted by the heat, had been saturated by the water used to put out the fire.
She said the family was staying positive despite the loss.
“Things are things,” Ms Peel said. “No one was hurt … that is what we keep telling our kids.”
She said there was no point dwelling on things that could not be changed.
“There’s a lot of clean up ahead of us,” she said. “But you’ve just got to keep moving forward.”
She also wanted to thank everyone who had come to their aid, while they waiting for insurance claims to be processed.
While some friends had opened their homes, others had provided clothing, essentially food and general support.
“We’ve had so many offers of assistance … we haven’t had the chance to work out what we need,” Ms Peel said.
“We have such beautiful friends … we live in such a beautiful community.”
Ms Peel said she and her family were overwhelmed the sense of solidarity and generosity they had experienced first hand since Friday night.
Wagga police Chief Inspector Andrew Spliet said advised residents to remain alert, following the unfortunate incident.
“If you’re out and about make sure you turn off your appliances and anything that might cause a fire,” he said.