As firefighters continue to assess the damage of the devastating fires in Perth’s north-eastern suburbs, heartbreaking stories of loss are beginning to emerge.

Virginia Absom held back tears as she told 6PR’s Liam Bartlett her Gidgegannup home had been reduced to rubble.

“There is just nothing, there is just nothing” she said.

“18 years of building a house with a large family, and it’s just … there’s nothing.”

Her family of eight were in the direct line of fire and made the decision to leave for safety.

“We could see that the sky was just blackening rather quickly,” she said.

“We decided we would go because we had young children with us.

“We did what we could to prepare but we knew once we’d lost power we would have no water to even fight, and then our lives would be at risk, and nothing is worth our lives.”

Ms Absom said they packed what they could in the car, including their family dog, but had to leave behind two cats and their chickens.

“We had a look since, but we weren’t able to locate them yet,” she said.

She thanked family and friends who have rallied around her family for support.

“We’ve got things that we need, people have just come out of the woodwork and are so helpful,” she said.

“It’s been amazing what people have done for us, I am just so humbled by it all.”

Click play to hear the full interview. 

(Photo: DFES.)