A Red Deer mother and daughter who lost their home in a fire recently are deeply grateful to the neighbours who stepped up.
Ramona Kowch said she can't thank neighbours Melanie Beleno and her husband Mark Anthony enough for spotting the smoke coming from an upstairs bedroom and waking up her 24-year-old daughter, who was sleeping soundly in the basement, oblivious to the danger.
The couple, who lived two doors down, had been on the way to work when they saw black smoke pouring from a window at the back of the Ladwig Close house.
Melanie rang the doorbell and banged on the door repeatedly until the daughter was alerted around 5:30 a.m. on June 23. She was able to grab one of their two cats and flee. The other cat escaped on its own.
The daughter, who did not want her name used, went back into the home to rescue the family's dog, who was in the closed bedroom where the fire started. But she could not see the dog through the smoke and had to retreat, suffering third-degree burns to her fingers in the attempt.
When firefighters arrived, Lt. Ben Barthel was able to rescue the dog, who had taken refuge in the master bedroom bathtub and had been out of sight of the daughter.
The cause of the fire was traced to an extension cord connected to a small lamp and a clock radio.
The insurance company has said that because of the fire, smoke and water damage, the split-level home is likely a write-off.
While losing everything has been heartbreaking, she wanted to express her gratitude to the neighbours whose actions may have saved the life of her daughter, and definitely saved their pets.
Their next-door neighbours also stepped up to help, taking in one of the cats and caring for their dog Zoey. They have continued to help by watering plants, picking up mail and keeping an eye on the house in case of theft or vandalism.
Ramona and her daughter say they can't thank the neighbours enough who helped them and Barthel, for saving their dog.
"They created miracles for me, honestly. I really feel the community should recognize them, for sure," said Kowch.
Her daughter feels the same way.
"I am very, very grateful to Melanie because I sleep very deeply at night. I'm not sure if she wasn't ringing the doorbell so persistently I would have woken up.
"The smoke alarms weren't loud enough to come through my bedroom door downstairs. I'm totally not sure if (the fire) would have taken the whole house by the time I woke up."
Both mother and daughter have found a bed and breakfast to live in, likely for up to a year, until their home of 18 years is rebuilt.
