WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — A Woonsocket family is still grappling with the loss of their home after it was destroyed by a fire on Monday .

Three families lived in the Logee Street home, including the Orlando family.

Christina Orlando recalled warning her parents, Aline and Mark, when she first noticed something falling past her window and realized something was wrong.

“Something else fell and something hit my AC, then I went outside and saw it was burning, flaming pieces of the house,” Christina said. She quickly yelled to her parents.

“When I heard the tone of her voice…. it just scared me. My husband at the time, was watching TV, he opened the door and all this smoke came rushing in,” Aline said.

Christina added, “My dad went into the hallway, screamed his head off upstairs to get everybody out.”

Christina was burned by debris. “I didn’t even feel it at first, my neighbor had to brush it off my shoulder because I had my cat and couldn’t let her go,” she said.

All three families escaped, but were left without a home. The devastating fire also took the lives of three cats, a dog and several ferrets.

“It’s your life… It’s hard,” Aline said.

Rhode Island State Fire Marshal Tim McLaughlin said investigators determined the cause of the fire was accidental, started by smoking material that was discarded in an overloaded ashtray on a third-floor porch.

As the Orlando family tries to figure out what’s next, they are confronting another harsh reality. Mark was recently diagnosed with cancer. The day after the fire, they had to visit the doctor and set a date for surgery.

Aline and Christina say despite all the tragedy, they are filled with gratitude for the firefighters who responded to the scene, as well as their friends, family and even strangers who are rallying behind them.

“All your physical possessions are gone, but then you have a safety net of people holding you up when nothing else is there. Honestly, I don’t know how I could ever thank them,” Christina said.

“We’ll get through this. We will, we have each other,” Aline continued.

If you’d like to donate to a GoFundMe started for the family, click here .

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