'Still shocked': Mum and baby lose everything in devastating fire

Ballarat woman Airleigh tragically lost all of her possessions and her home was extensively damaged after a fire spread in her Winter Valley home last Sunday afternoon.

The young mum and her one-year-old daughter, Adelyn, were not home when a fault with an electric blanket in the master bedroom sparked a fire, which rose into the air vents and spread to the rest of the house.

"I'm still shocked that it happened to me. I'm used to reading about these things but you don't ever think it will happen to you," Airleigh said.

"Some days I comprehend what has happened and others I don't. But then it hits me when I go back to the house and see what it looks like now."

Neighbours reportedly noticed the smoke, leading several to jump her fence to gain access to the property - initially thinking Airleigh and her daughter were inside.

"They tried to use my garden hose to start putting out the fire but the water pressure was too low, so they pulled a hose over the fence to try to put it out," she said.

Firefighters and police arrived soon afterwards, as Airleigh frantically rushed home to the house she had saved for and built in 2018.

Airleigh had left home with her daughter about 1.45pm, and was "shocked" when she received a text message from a neighbour about an hour later telling her that her house was on fire.

"To be perfectly honest, what happened didn't register at first and I was just in shock," she said.

On the opposite side of town, she tried calling her friends to see if any of them could get to the house before her.

She arrived in her street to find it blocked off by police as firefighters worked to bring the fire under control.

"If we hadn't left in a rush, we would have been home so it's scary to think about," Airleigh said.

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As the fire got into the air vents, every room has been impacted and covered in a layer of soot - meaning she has lost pretty much everything except for a few clothing items that had been left in the bathroom.

Remediation works have begun but as much of the interior will need to be replaced, as will the entire roof, it is expected to take at least six months. The loss of her home has been particularly crushing after a difficult few months for her personally.

She expressed extreme gratitude for the community's generosity and kindness - from her neighbours who tried to douse the flames to all of the people who have donated to help her get back on her feet.

Her best friend Emma started a GoFundMe page and in addition to cash, she has also been inundated with donations of baby supplies, food, toys and other necessities.

Airleigh said people had been "incredible" and "so generous" with their donations - from friends to her daughter's daycare, Eureka Mums and people she hasn't spoken to in years, such as her high school dance teacher.

While overwhelmed, she isn't fussed about her own needs and just wants to ensure that she has everything she needs for her baby.

But currently sleeping on a mattress on the floor at her mum's house and living out of tote bags, she is desperate to find a rental property while her home is being repaired - not only so she can reestablish a routine for her baby, but also so she can return to work.

Airleigh had only just returned to work part-time in July following maternity leave, and had been working from her home office.

She said it was difficult trying to find a rental because she had never rented before - going straight from living at her mum's house to building her first home.

"It will be nice to be able to get our own space and settle in because tote bags aren't fun," she said, adding that once she finds a rental, she will use the cash donations to buy new furniture and other home necessities.

While each day is "a bit up and down", she credits Emma, who has been her best friend since her first day at high school, for keeping her "straight".

Emma said it was amazing to see how the community had supported her friend after such a tragedy, despite it being such a challenging financial year for a lot of people in the community.