Local family asking for help after a fire destroyed their home

WHITE OAK, Pa. — As many people plan to gather in their homes with family and friends, one White Oak couple won’t have that opportunity after their home was destroyed by a fire earlier this week.

Now, just hours before Christmas, they are asking for your help as they work to get back on their feet.

“It’s sad, it’s definitely sad,” said Alyssa Auld.

Auld and her boyfriend, Ryan Black, were home when flames tore through the second floor of their Lincoln Way home on Wednesday.

“It was just like a plastic smell and then she saw the flames in the hallway. It was too late, we tried to put it out but it just didn’t work,” said Black. “We got out with the clothes on our back. That was it.”

Now the couple, who should be celebrating Christmas Eve, are instead trying to figure out how to start over.

“Lost, don’t know what to do,” said Black. “We will take all the help we can get.

The couples’ friends, Shannon Kelley and Matthew Cubberley have created on GoFundMe page on their behalf. Their ultimate goal, along with generating funds, is to help Black and Auld get a new home.

“Even if it’s not Christmas, the fact that it’s Christmas makes it that much worse,” said Kelley. “It’s better to give than receive. So, we are trying to give.”

Kelley is also collecting donations for Black and Auld at her store, The Nerd Korner, just up the street from the now charred Lincoln Way home.

“Sheets, bedding, towels, household stuff, plates, anything will help out,” said Kelley.

To donate to Ryan Black and Alyssa Auld, please visit their GoFundMe me page here: https://wpxi.tv/3JkZJCS

White Oak Police warn residents after someone rummaged through unlocked cars White Oak Police warn residents after someone rummaged through unlocked cars