A blaze destroyed a home in southwest Manitoba Thursday morning.
The fire was reported around 3 a.m. at a residence southeast of MacGregor in the RM of North Norfolk.
No injuries were reported, but Jim and Wendy Vermeulen lost most of their possessions in the fire.
Their son Darcy was planning to come home for Christmas, but returned sooner to support his parents when he found out what happened.
"Just to see the whole (house) flat and nothing standing is kind of shocking," said Darcy Vermeulen.
The family and their dog were inside at the time when the fire broke out.
"The family just threw on…clothes and bailed out of the house. My brother didn't even have a pair of shoes on," said Vermeulen.
Relatives said the blaze started in the garage. The family was alerted about the fire by an alarm, which likely saved their lives.
By the time firefighters arrived, the entire home was engulfed in flames.
"We're lucky that everybody got out alive," said Chris Lecki, MacGregor fire chief.
Firefighters were able to salvage a few photos, but everything else was consumed in the blaze.
"My parents' wedding photos, my mother's engagement ring was in there…it's just gone," said Vermeulen.
The home was insured, however.
The community has set up a trust fund at the Austin Credit Union to help the family start rebuilding their lives.
The family has also received several offers to spend Christmas with friends and family in the area.
"I'm not going to let the fire wreck the holidays for us," said Vermeulen.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
- with a report from CTV's Josh Crabb
