What started out as an average morning was up in flames by 9:15 a.m. Suzanne Macpherson thought she could smell something electrical burning, but she scoured the house and couldn’t find anything.

Within 45 minutes white smoke was billowing from the garage and she had just a few moments to grab the pets, important documents and get out the door.

“I grabbed my purse and was trying to find my car keys and when I opened the front door I could see the flames were already coming out of the holes in the vents,” said Macpherson. “You have about three minutes before things really go bad and then you start to panic,” said Macpherson.

A short from the refrigerator cord in the garage ignited the fire, which swept through their Pleasant Place home destroying much of the structure and belongings within minutes. It will be eight to 12 months before anyone can return to the home.

Though the rebuilding process has just started their pain and frustration was calmed by the generosity and kindness shown by the community that quickly took in the family without hesitation. For the Macpherson family their tragedy is giving Thanksgiving a whole new significance this year.

“If I could do anything right now it would be to have a big party or just find some way to thank all of the amazing volunteers who have helped us,” said Macpherson. “We aren’t special, we are just lucky. This could have happened in the middle of the night.”

Since the fire sparked in the daylight hours Macpherson was able to grab her “Suze Orman” box filled with all of the family’s important documents like birth certificates, insurance papers and identification. Macpherson thanked Orman, the famous financial adviser and television host, who suggests every family keep everything in one easy, convenient place in case of an emergency.

Other than that box, and her pets, Macpherson couldn’t grab much, leaving the family with just the clothes on their back.

Though it’s not a process Macpherson said she would wish upon anyone she said it is amazing to watch the recovery process unfold. Teams of people come in to remove, clean up and salvage everything possible, as quickly as possible, before rebuilding begins. It begins with a group who comes in to remove all the clothes, linens, and fabrics to try and remove the smoke damage. Then another group tries to grab the bigger more solid items like furniture to salvage. The process gives the family about two hours to grab anything important before it is gone for months, taken to a big factory, for smoke damage removal.

A contractor comes to tear the structure down and another team comes to sort through the rubble. The most painful part is sorting through the ashes and charred items to record and identify items.

“It’s excruciating to actually go through everything and identify what you have lost. You try and detach yourself from what you lost when it happens, but when you are forced to go through it the process is emotionally exhausting,” said Macpherson. “I was definitely pulling friends together to have crying parties.”

The home will essentially be rebuilt from the ground up. The Macphersons have lived on the home for 25 years and prior to the fire they had just finished a remodel. Macpherson is an author of eight romance novels at her husband is an attorney.

Many of the items taken away will be returned, but more than having their things back is the need for the family to be together again. Since the fire everyone was split up to make sure the kids could have hot meals and get to school. Their children Michael, 18, and Mary, 15, have stayed at different places while Suzanne and her husband James stayed with a friend and at the guest apartment of their church pastor. Friends and the Eagle Harbor congregation have pitched in clothes and community members have offered services, money and cars via the online Island Moms forum.

Aleta McClelland, who has played a crucial role in helping the family get on their feet, said the outreach from the community is incredible. A fund was originally set-up to help the family financially, but the Macphersons realized they didn’t need the money and are donating that money to Helpine House. McClelland said the firemen from the beginning served an incredible role in easing the process. Their insurance provider Pemco was helpful, covering their needs, and making the process manageable.

In sorting through the rubble Macpherson said she has found some items completely untouched, like a silver tray from her mother-in-law.

“These days are the hardest when I have to be here and sort through the ashes and charcoal, but things will get better,” said Macpherson. “I keep finding little angels in the rubble.”

The Macpherson will head into the holiday season with a roof over their heads, and will all be able to sit at the Thanksgiving table for the first time in a while. Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, they move into their rental home, with rented furniture expected to arrive that same day.

“Returning to normalcy relies on finding one place and having a home, a place we can all return to,” said Macpherson. “If there is one thing I truly realize now it is the great blessing in the simple fact of having a home.”