DUPONT -- A community in Luzerne County is coming together to help a family who lost their house in a fire.
The family shed a lot of tears after they lost everything in that fire, but they are also grateful for the outpouring of support from members of their community who want to make sure they are not without love during the holidays.
Looking at her fire-scorched home in Dupont, Nicole Boyanowski is reminded about several years of memories destroyed in just minutes.
"Whoever thinks something's going to happen to them?" asked Boyanowski. "It's just crazy how fast something can be taken from you."
Newswatch 16 was there when crews put out flames over the weekend. Crews believe an electrical problem with a space heater caused the fire.
Nicole credits smoke alarms with helping the family escape, but two cats did not survive.
"I'm just so thankful that my kids are safe. My husband is safe. Things could have been so much worse, and we're very lucky in so many ways."
"With it being so close to Christmas, Dupont is accepting donations for the family at the borough building. So far, dozens of people have responded with things like gift cards, clothing, and more.
"The children didn't even have shoes when they were able to get out, so we're looking for anything and everything to help them," said borough secretary Barbara Fairchild.
The family could not be more grateful.
"It's just amazing, the support that we've gotten from friends, family, strangers. We are so overwhelmed, and we can't wait to pay it forward. We cannot believe how blessed we are," said Nicole.
The family has a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old. They are staying with family in the area until they can get back on their feet.
There's also a GoFundMe page that's been set up for donations.