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FREWSBURG – The owner of a Frewsburg home ravaged by fire Wednesday afternoon is speaking out about the frightening experience.
Paula Rondeau, mother of two and owner of a local business, took to social media last night following a huge inferno that burned down her Johnson Street home.
“I was [at my store] working… I saw a Frewsburg resident who we’re friends with was approaching my store… I just waved her in and the look on her face… I could tell something was terribly, terribly wrong,” said Rondeau. “She said, ‘Your house is burning down!’… and I just started screaming.”
Rondeau says she first contacted her daughter and husband to make sure they were safe. Her son was with her when the house went up in flames. However, the family lost their puppy and one of their cats.
“Josephine, [our cat] was there by the door. They found her later, and they found Leo, our dog… he was asleep on our bed,” stated Rondeau.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but the location of where it began was clear.
“The fire started, they gather, in a spare bedroom that we have on our lower level,” explained Rondeau. “Something happened in the ceiling where the light fixture is because right above that room is our bedroom, which is now in the lower level. So, the whole thing just fell down, collapsed.”
Officials finally were able to clear the scene by the evening, but the family who owned the home are now left with very little. They’re choosing to reflect on what they didn’t lose, however.
“The most important stuff, we have,” said Rondeau, referencing her kids, husband, and surviving pets.
To assist the family affected by the blaze, a GoFundMe page has been set up. To learn more, visit gofundme.com and search ‘The Rondeau Family.’ You can also support the family by purchasing items from Paula’s online store at cozycuckoonest.com.
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