Community donates $24,000 to family after Willatook house fire

The family wasn't home when their house caught fire just before 11am, and, despite the effort of firefighters, the house was destroyed with just the chimney left standing.

A Go Fund Me had raised $24,000 in 24 hours - the money donated by about 180 people so far was more than doubled the target amount of the fundraiser.

Meagan Forth, who started the Go Fund Me to help her sister Kylie Habel's family, said they were still coming to terms with the loss of the home they had lived in for more than 15 years.

"It's very devastating," she said.

"All the things you accumulate over a lifetime were in there.

"Photos and all the priceless items you have for your kids as they grow up. The irreplaceable things is the hard thing. It's going to take some time to understand what it is that you've lost I think.

"Their shock hasn't quite worn off.

"The phones haven't stopped ringing and the outpouring of generosity from clothes to food to fuel vouchers and the Go Fund Me page has been amazing.

"It's really exceeded expectations."

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Miss Forth said her sister was in Warrnambool with their youngest child when she was contacted about the fire - her other four children were at school and her husband was at work at the time.

"By the time everyone got there unfortunately the house had burnt down," she said.

Initial investigations suggest the fire started in the kitchen near an appliance, Miss Forth said.

Miss Forth said the family was a big part of the Hawkesdale-Macarthur footy netball and cricket clubs.

"It's not surprising to have the community support but it is surprising that it's gone to extent that it's gone so far," she said.

"The outpouring of support has been amazing but they are staying with family so they don't really have anywhere to put stuff."

Miss Forth said the beauty about being in the country was everyone knew everyone and when something like this impacted someone you knew it really felt like it affected them all.

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