Devastated family-of-four are left homeless after their house collapses 20 minutes after being completely engulfed by flames
- A family-of-four have been left homeless after their house set fire and collapsed
- Vanessa Ronchetti's partner Tama was about to shower when he heard shouting
- The family home in Alice Springs was on fire and fell down within 20 minutes
- The fire had been burning for five hours before he was alerted to the flames
A family-of-four have been left homeless after fire ripped through their home, destroying almost everything inside in just 20 minutes.
Mum-of-two Vanessa Ronchetti took her daughter Marley-Rose two, to day care and went to work with her seven-month-old baby Keanu.
Her partner Tama was at home and about to take a shower when he heard banging on the door.
Mum-of-two Vanessa Ronchetti (far right) took her daughter Marley-Rose (centre right) two, to day care and went to work with her seven-month-old baby Keanu (centre left). Her partner Tama (far left) was at home and about to take a shower when he heard banging on the door
Her partner, Tama, was at home about to take a shower when he heard banging on the door
The house had been on fire for several hours but did not fill with smoke and the alarms never went off so Tama, 40, didn't realise the house was burning down until a man began to yell and smack at the door.
The man was driving passed the house in Alice Springs on May 1 when he noticed flames coming out of the roof.
'It was about 10.30am when Tama rang me and said the house was on fire and I needed to get home,' Vanessa told Daily Mail Australia.
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'I just thought he had been cooking and something was on fire in the kitchen so I didn't think anything of it.'
Vanessa left her son with her mother, who she works with at a small family business doing tax returns and bookkeeping, and rushed home
She spotted billowing plumes of smoke as soon as she started driving and immediately started to panic.
The home didn't fill with smoke and the alarms never went off Tama didn't realise the house was burning down until the man began to yell and smack the door
Vanessa found that the road had been blocked off and as soon as she spotted police and firefighters she went into shock.
'I just went to Tama and started crying because I could see the house starting to fall. I collapsed onto the kerb and people started to come and check on me,' she said.
The house had fallen within ten minutes of the 37-year-old arriving home, and 20 minutes after her partner was ordered by police to leave.
Tama had rescued the family pets - including their puppy Lolly - birth certificates and other documents.
The man was driving passed the house in Alice Springs on May 1 when he noticed flames coming out of the roof
'I just went to Tama and started crying because I could see the house starting to fall. I collapsed onto the kerb and people started to come and check on me,' she said. The house had fallen within ten minutes of the 37-year-old arriving home
When everything began to collapse the pair had to leave the street, going to Vanessa's parents' home around the corner.
'Everything was gone except for what I had on my back - and the animals - but I was also grateful that everyone was okay,' she said.
A firefighter told her the fire had been burning for at least five hours before Tama was alerted to the flames by tradesmen, and is believed to be caused by electrical fire above the kitchen.
A firefighter told her the fire had been burning for at least five hours before Tama was alerted to the flames by tradesmen, and is believed to be caused by electrical fire above the kitchen
The family are now staying in a one bedroom house owned by Vanessa's parents.
'We've gone from a nice four-bedroom house to a one-bedroom and sharing everything,' she said.
The family are now staying in a one bedroom house owned by Vanessa's parents. 'We've gone from a nice four-bedroom house to a one-bedroom and sharing everything,' she said
'We're happy we can live with them but the sad thing is we have to drive passed the home every day.'
Vanessa said she has only just been able to to get access to the property and slowly grabbing items that were untouched by the fire - including bridesmaids dresses for the couple's wedding in November.
'They still smell like smoke but I'm washing them because I'm hopeful,' she said.
Vanessa said she has only just been able to to get access to the property and slowly grabbing items that were untouched by the fire - including bridesmaids dresses for the couple's wedding in November
She's also been able to get some clothes and her two-year-old's favourite books.
'There is hardly a roof and all the furniture is disintegrated but then you open up a cupboard and there will be some saucepans or something,' she said.
Her daughter has also been affected by the fire - sometimes responding to questions with 'it's in the fire' or being unable to look at the disintegrated home.
A family friend started a crowdfunding page to help the family slowly get back on their feet - something the mother-of-two is extremely thankful for.
'The community has been pretty good - a casino here did a fundraiser for us and with the Go Fund Me we've been able to pay some bills,' she said.
'We've had a lot of support and they've been so supportive.'
A Go Fund Me for the family can be found here.
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