February 16, 2009

A mother from Toko and her two young sons have been left with nothing after an horrific house fire tore through their home at the weekend.
Kylie Dillon and her boys Dylan, 9, and Campbell Moore, 7, went for a quick trip to Stratford on Saturday morning and returned to a house engulfed in flames.
'We could see the big plumes of smoke from the main road and I joked to the boys, I hope the house isn't on fire,' Ms Dillon said.
'And when we got closer my little heart skipped a beat and I said, f . . . it is our house on fire.' Ms Dillon drove straight to a neighbour's house and called emergency services, but it was too late. By the time the Toko fire brigade arrived, the house was well alight and even with help from the Stratford fire brigade, it couldn't be saved.
'The boys were shocked and a little bit upset, so at first I didn't go back. But I just couldn't stay away, half an hour later I took the boys back . . . and just watched it,' Ms Dillon said.
Toko fire officer Trevor Dent said the volunteers had struggled to find a large enough water supply.
They exhausted two trucks, a tanker, and had pumped water from a nearby creek, but the fire kept fighting back.
'It's unbelievable how hot a house can get. The furnishings just burn so hot,' Mr Dent said.
Fire Safety Officer Matt Crabtree said he thought the fire had started from an electrical or wiring failure, but could not be completely sure.
Yesterday, Ms Dillon and her family had returned to their home, now a wet, charred, smoking mess.
Only the occasional object, such as the handlebars of Dylan's new bike, was recognisable.
Ms Dillon said she and the boys would be staying at her mother's house, also in Toko, until they could find something more permanent.
Her insurance would not cover everything lost in the house.
The Toko community had already begun to help out, and the Lions club were meeting tonight to decide how to provide assistance. Any donations can be left at Toko School.