They weren't at home when it happened, but this couple lost everything in one afternoon after a raging bush fire ravaged their neighbourhood in Fresh Pond Village.

Elma Canales and her husband have been living on this plot of land for the past 4 years. She says they always had to be putting out bushfires in the area, but never imagined one could do this much damage.

Elma Canales, Fire Victim:
"What was left was crumbs, my car my Camry everything had burned up, my house, refridge, stove, everything all the house utensils everything in the house burned to the ground, everything so I never thought that would happen to me at anytime but I don't know."

Canales says her neighbours alerted the fire services but they arrived 2 hours later

Elma Canales, Fire Victim:
"It was a bushfire like 6 lands before my land and then it jumped from like other lands over the street then come straight over my land then it just caught fire then the neighbour called the fire engine like 2:00 in the afternoon and then they never responded till about 4:10-4:20 they arrived when everything was already burned already."

It's a peril she was aware of and an outcome she was trying to avoid

Elma Canales, Fire Victim:
"All the time there are bush fires but all the time I tried to keep my yard raked and everything, cleared from when bushfires come we are around and some days there are a lot of bushfires and we try to keep clean around the house and everything but this time I was at work so I can't do anything, I couldn't do anything to avoid the fire."

Elma Canales, Fire Victim:
"The thing is back there we don't have any water, no water system anything every 15 days a water truck comes and deposits water but then the neighbour told me and informed me about the fire he said he called 2:00 the fire station, I don't know why he did not call me that same time because we could have gone and used the water wet the house or wet something around so the fire doesn't come close but he said he was saving the water because once we don't have any water there will be no water for nothing at all, not to drink not for nothing so everything burned up, all the barrels, I had 9 barrels, a big rotoplast and everything just burned I don't know where to begin, we don't have any water back there to do anything at all. And its sad because it's my house, it's the only house over on that side, all the other houses it jumped over the street the fire jumped over the street or something flew over the yard I don't know really how it got there but when I got home at 5:00 there was nothing at all."

Canales estimates that they lost over 60K worth of belongings including heavy duty machinery she used to operate her side gig which was cake baking.

If anyone wishes to assist her and her husband they can contact Canales at 6096375.