A West Auckland family is thanking the kindness of strangers after they lost everything in a house fire.
The blaze destroyed their New Lynn home on Friday night, and since then the local community has stepped in to help.
It had been the family home for generations. Now they sift through the ashes, as they begin the painstaking job of rescuing anything that's left.
Caitlin Foote is just 16, her grandfather built the house and his remains still lay here.
"We've got my Nan and my Grandpa in there, all the photo albums," she says.
"Everything I had from being a baby, those things cannot be replaced."
The house caught fire on Friday evening. The cause is still unknown, but flames ripped through the home in minutes. Caitlin's dad owes his life to the smoke alarm.
He's lucky to be alive and lucky to live in this community. The family has been inundated with donations, one neighbour even opening up her home to the family's flatmate.
"Nobody expects that sort of thing to happen," says neighbour Toni Davis.
"We had a spare bed and a room made up - it was just the natural thing to do."
"The community has come forward with clothes, shoes, food, appliances, bedding - everything they could to try and help us out," says Caitlin.
Caitlin's parents are recovering from the ordeal, and the family are hoping to move into emergency housing soon.
Newshub.
