'Everything in our house is destroyed': Thousands raised for Cork family following house fire 

OVER €4,500 has been raised for a family in Cork who recently saw their home of 16 years destroyed in a devastating fire.

A local fundraising committee has been set up in Glanworth in the hopes of helping Michelle Noonan and her family to refurbish their home and "get back on their feet" following a fire last week.

The fire began near the front door, according to Michelle’s daughter and the family are grateful that no one was home at the time. However,  everything in the house has been “destroyed”.

Speaking to the Neil Prendeville Show on Red FM, Michelle’s daughter, Nicole said that her mother received a phone call from a neighbour who informed her of the fire, describing it as “a phone call that everybody dreads”.

“It totally hadn’t registered at all. You hear of all these things happening, but you never realise how bad it is until it gets closer to home,” she said.

“Everything in our house is destroyed- furniture, everything.” 

After 16 years, she said her mother “literally walked out of her home with nothing”.

Nicole said that her 15-year-old brother had just left the home shortly before the fire began.

“Thankfully, there was nobody at home,” she said.

“Material things can be replaced to a degree. It’s still really, really hard and she has to start all over again.

“Our baby photos, all of the memories that we would have built throughout the years are gone.”

The fire services informed the family that the fire began near the front door and that they were lucky it had not occurred during the night.

“It’s quite frightening and my brother was just gone from the house an hour previous so we’re really, really counting our blessings."

Nicole described the fire services and gardaí who attended the scene as “fantastic".

The fundraiser, which has been set up on the family’s behalf has raised over €4,500 in just three days.

Speaking on the support from the local community, Nicole said: “The support around the village has been brilliant. From calls and text messages and everything, it means so much to my Mam and myself, my brother and my sister. 

"It means a lot.”

The fundraiser is available here.