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Community comes together for family who lost everything Christmas Day

Posted at 1:31 PM, Dec 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-27 16:52:04-05

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The community is coming together to support a woman who lost everything in a Christmas Day house fire.

Firefighters were called to Suzanne Lingo's home on Shore Drive just after 2:30 a.m. on Christmas morning.

The fire ripped through the home, destroying everything in its path.

"What was going through my mind was 'wow this is spreading so fast.' Within 2-3 minutes, the whole house going all the way to the living room, all the way to the kitchen, the entire house was in flames," Lingo said.

Lingo and her boyfriend of 11 years were both able to get out of the house with their two dogs. A beloved cat, George, is feared dead.

"I miss George and really that’s all that matters to me is my cat," Lingo shared.

Almost immediately, the community began to rally around the couple, with neighbors and total strangers dropping off donations, money and supplies.

"It’s amazing. It's so generous and thoughtful," Lingo stated.

Once she is allowed back inside the charred home, Lingo is hopeful she can find a class ring that belonged to her daughter Isbael, who passed away in September.

"She wore it every day so I just would really like to find that," Lingo said through tears.

You can support Suzanne Lingo by donating to one of two GoFundMe pages here and here.