FRANKLIN, Texas (KRHD) — A Franklin family is trying to rebuild after losing everything in a fire that destroyed their home last month.
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Cara Brewer says she and her daughter had just left for the grocery store when they got the call that would change their lives forever.
"We weren't gone 20 minutes, got a phone call. Our house was on fire and we came back and within minutes it was, it was gone," Brewer said.
"Within minutes it was engulfed and gone," she said.
The flames took a lifetime of memories — baby pictures, her mother's ashes, even their family pets.
"I tried to go to a window to get one of our dogs. The window exploded, and then I saw the roof fall," Brewer said.
Looking at what remains of her home, now reduced to rubble and ashes, Brewer described the scene as heartbreaking.
"It's just heartbreaking. You can't get any of it back," she said.
In the middle of heartbreak, the Brewers say hope showed up — in the form of neighbors, classmates, and strangers.
"From the schools just to individuals, not in just this community but surrounding communities, churches, the middle school and high school here in Franklin, they did fundraisers," Brewer said.
The community support has been overwhelming. Local schools purchased her daughter a new laptop so she could continue her online classes. They also held a "pass the helmet" fundraiser at a football game to raise extra money for the family.
From new furniture to heartfelt check-ins, support keeps pouring in — helping Brewer and her family start fresh. And that love, Brewer says, is what's getting them through.
"Community always comes together, always supports one another. And just to see them do that for our family is, it's amazing," she said.
"It's a small town, but it has a lot of love," Brewer's daughter, Carleigh McDaniel said.
Fire officials are still investigating what caused the blaze.
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