GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Imagine going on vacation and getting the call that shatters your holiday: your house is on fire.
It's the exact nightmare a Hall County family went through days before Christmas.
The Carney family is now left with only the belongings they had packed while they were two hours away, in Rockmart, visiting family. The timing couldn't have been worse, as they have an eight-week-old baby.
"We're eight/nine days removed from one of the most tragic things that has ever happened to us," Ryan Carney said. "And to just be sitting here like, 'Things are going to be OK.'"
Carney said his family is OK physically, but emotionally, they're heartbroken. All that's left of their Gainesville family home is a pile of ashes inside and outside. It's certainly not the Christmas Katherine Carney was hoping for.
"I wasn't prepared for what I saw," Katherine said. "It was a lot worse than what I expected."
Katherine explained that the home that burned down was her great-grandmother's house.
"All of my memories in that house were--it sounds cliché--burned," Katherine said. "They were gone."
On Dec. 16, the family vacation was cut short when neighbors kept calling.
"He's an 18-year-old. He was sleeping on his couch," Katherine said. "And he woke up. And he just saw flames. And he called 911."
Ryan watched in horror on FaceTime. The family rushed back to find their home in shambles. A representative from the Gainesville Fire Department said investigators concluded that it was an electrical fire.
"It didn't look as bad as when you're in person walking through it and stepping over your children's toys," Ryan described.
Photos: Gainesville family loses home days before Christmas
And with Christmas around the corner, Katherine was devastated for her three boys -- until the Gainesville community stepped in.
"I wanted my kids to be able to wake up to something magical," Katherine said. "And it was magical."
The children were showered with gifts and toys. Ryan's father works in insurance at Hart Smith Company and helped them out. The family was also able to move out of their parent's basement, thanks to a family friend, who helped with a rental home.
"He gave us the key and said, 'Hey, you guys take a few days, decide if it's going to be a good fit for you,'" Ryan recounted.
The rental home kept them cozy for the holidays, equipped with donated furniture from a local store and a Christmas tree, just in time. And the love kept pouring in: Ryan said churches, the fire station, his job, and more all pitched in.
Katherine said it restored her faith in humanity: "The community made it all possible. We couldn't have done it without them."
"There's so much beauty that has come out of such darkness," Katherine added.
The family's online fundraiser has exceeded its goal three times over. Those who would like to help can click here.