WYLIE Saunders, tenant at Knebsworth, was left with only the clothing on his back following the house fire that occurred on September 5 last month.

At 6am on the morning of September 5, Wylie left his residence in Macarthur to go to work.

By around 7:30am, the CFA had received a call regarding a house fire from a Macarthur local who had seen the smoke which was visible from the road.

The brave local faced the heat of the fire, going up to the property and knocking around the house to make sure no one was home.

Calling 000, the local alerted emergency services and the quick responding CFA showed no mercy to the flames with response teams from North Byaduk, Byaduk, Macarthur, Heywood, Hamilton, Hamilton HAZMAT, and Warrnambool Incident Response all attending the fire on Monday morning.

Property owner, Caroline Coggins, thanked the Macarthur local and the fire brigades for their incredible response.

“All these wonderful people turned out on their Monday morning,” she said.

“The house burnt to the ground; we are all so thankful that (Wylie) wasn’t in the house.”

It was only a couple of days after the fire that the Macarthur Lions Club got in touch to see if they could help Wylie after the fire, which they did in the form of a donation.

“(The Macarthur Lions Club) were so lovely, Wylie was so touched, he was blown away,” Caroline said.

The Lions Club of Macarthur and District are not stopping there, however, as they have subsequently launched a public appeal to further assist him.

Caroline said the community response to the traumatic event was exemplary of the great community of Macarthur and the care that is shown about other members of the town.

Macarthur Lions Club secretary, Lesley Addinsall, has been especially helpful and Caroline sang praises about how beautiful she has been to deal with in the aftermath of the incident.

To help Wylie recover after the devastating losses suffered in the fire, the Lions Club have set up a donation box at the Macarthur Post Office.

Alternatively, donations can be made via a direct deposit - details for which can be obtained by contacting the Lions Club of Macarthur and District at macarthuranddistrictlionsclub@gmail.com

The Fire Appeal for Wylie will close this Friday, October 21, after which a total will be published, and receipts issued to all who wish to be acknowledged for their donation.