I know people mean well when they say the stuff can be replaced, but I have been on enough fire scenes to know that when a person loses their home, it has a huge emotional impact on their life. It is not just the stuff, but the memories that all the stuff represents, as well as the memories of events that occurred in the home. People are really appreciative when we can find some pictures or keepsakes in the debris and take them outside for safe keeping. It makes the pain just a little bit less when they have something that survived the fire to remind them of times past. Your fire department sounds like one that I would be proud to be a member of.

I am glad your family is safe and that you didn't lose everything. Best wishes to you as you rebuild your home and get everything back to normal.