By Rowan Forster
A Pakenham father seared by flames that ripped through his uninsured family home in October has been rendered homeless.
Damien Knaap, his wife Rebecca and their two children, Hayley, 5 and Declan, 2, narrowly escaped with their lives after their property in the Hunter Valley caught alight.
Their furniture, appliances, family photo albums, Damien’s costly work tools and Hayley and Declan’s cherished children’s toys were all destroyed by the inferno.
As the home and contents were not covered, the family has been forced to alternate between living out of their car and staying at a friend’s house – less than a fortnight before Christmas.
“When we had that house fire we lost everything,” Mr Knaap said.
“We haven’t got a house in time for Christmas and the fundraising has really slowed down. “
The 25-year-old said it was particularly difficult for Hayley and Declan.
“We’ve tried to keep it as normal as possible for them, but it’s just so hard,” he added.
“It’s unfair on them really.”
Mr Knaap, who is well known across town, attended Pakenham Secondary College, played footy locally and worked at Autobarn for several years before pursuing his dream of serving Australia
He lived in Pakenham for most of his life, until he was posted to New South Wales through the military.
The community has raised more than $2,600 to support Mr Knaap, but unfortunately it is not enough to recoup the losses.
The fire sparked on Thursday 18 October at about 2.30pm.
According to NSW Fire and Rescue, the blaze reached four LPG gas cylinders which were being stored in the garage – causing an explosion.
During the ordeal, Mr Knaap suffered severe burns to his limbs.
“Most of the burns were superficial, but I suffered a very bad burn on my ankle,” he said.
“I still have a huge lump from the skin graft.”
At the time, firefighters said it was fortunate that no lives were lost as a result of the explosion.
Due to the severity of the fire, Damien Knaap’s father, Paul, estimates it could cost more than $100,000 to replace everything that was destroyed.
Donations can be made online at: https://bit.ly/2AhOiKp
