Aussie Muslim Raises Funds for Firefighter who Lost Home While Saving Others

An Australian Muslim has kicked off a new campaign to raise funds to help a firefighter, who lost everything in the bushfires while working to save others, build a new home.

“Andrew and Katrina Condie are close friends of mine. I launched the campaign on their behalf after they were informed that their insurance would not cover the rebuilding of their home (and its contents),” Emily Richardson told AboutIslam.net.

Over the past weeks, Andrew has been working for 14 hour days, up to seven days in a row.

On the New Year’s eve, a neighbor called the Condie family who was away in town, screaming that flames were approaching their home.

After saving other people’s homes for months, Andrew was shattered that he was not able to save his own.

“Andrew has been out fighting fires for months and months, so it is even more tragic that he could not save his own home. He did, however, save the home of his next-door-neighbors, a young couple,” Richardson told AboutIslam.

“When Andrew realized his house was gone, he realized there were people trapped by the fire, so he drove them to the safety of the waterfront, through flames on all sides. There is only one road in and out of the village.

“He repeated this several times and managed to save many people who would have died without his help, including an elderly man,” she added.

Richardson was overwhelmed by the reaction to the campaign set to help the Condie family.

Setting a goal of $100,000, the fundraising campaign has raised more than $12,600 so far.

“The reaction so far has been great. People are very touched by their story,” she said.

“Andrew is a professional forest firefighter. He is an extremely humble man who would do anything to help his friends and community – as he did that day, on New Year’s Eve, risking his own life to save others.”

Muslim Support

Over the past weeks, Australian Muslims have come together to help people affected by bushfires which continue to wreak havoc on the country.

A few days ago, members of a local Australian Muslim group traveled to a fire-ravaged town in Australia to support exhausted firefighters.

In another city, members of the Newport Islamic society went to the aid of Johnsonville Volunteer Fire Brigade in East Gippsland after seeing the devastating effect of the blazes.

Muslim efforts were not limited to volunteering or delivering food.

Earlier, the Islamic Society of South Australia kicked off a new crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for those affected by bushfires.