LIBERTY TOWNSHIP -- Authorities say a fire near the Centre/Clinton County line today destroyed a home where five people lived.
The fire started around 7 a.m. Tuesday just outside Beech Creek. No one was home at the time.
A child's pink bicycle is all that is left standing outside what used to be this family's home near Beech Creek. A relative couldn't believe what happened when she heard the news.
"I cried a lot. It was very devastating to me," Rondia Schenck said.
Sherry Conway lived in the home with her mother, boyfriend, 3-year-old Crystal and 5-month-old Lilly. The family was staying at another house when the fire broke out.
"I was sleeping. My gram woke me up and said 'your house is on fire and there's nothing left.' I got Lilly in her car seat and she said 'leave the girls here and take care of it' and I got here and there is nothing," Conway said.
"Thank God no one was home. My sister's a deep sleeper," Schenck said.
This is the second tragedy to hit the family this week. Conway's uncle passed away over the weekend unexpectedly. Conway says everything she owned is now gone.
"We just went shopping on Sunday and got a whole bunch of winter clothes for everybody, for the whole family. They're not here anymore," Conway said.
Just hours after the fire, the community pulled together, collecting clothing and toys for the family.
One of those drop-off locations is Sykes near Lock Haven.
"There's help out there. We just got to barrel through it," Conway said.
"Good people out there still willing to help people out in times like this. There's really nothing that was able to be saved. Everything is destroyed. We lost it all," Schenck said.
The company collecting clothing and toys for the Conway family is Sykes Enterprises. It is located in the Bald Eagle Shopping Plaza, just off the McElhatten exit off Route 220 near Lock Haven.