Two people rescued from house fire in Orange

ORANGE, Mass. (WWLP) - It was a scary wake up call for a family in the Franklin County town of Orange Sunday morning. 22News talked to that family about the massive fire that destroyed their home.

“So I immediately closed the door and said honey, we have a house fire. We have to get out right away," said homeowner Victor MacDonald.

What was once a home to a family of 10 now barely remains standing after the fire early Sunday morning.

When the MacDonald family woke up, the entire house was filled with smoke, so some family members couldn't come downstairs to escape. Instead, they went upstairs to the roof, and they had to wait to be rescued.

Orange firefighters helped those two family members to safety as soon as they got there, but one family member has his 15-year-old grandson to thank for saving his life.

“I went into my grandfather's room, and he was just sitting on his bed. He had no idea what was happening, so I led him out,” said Daniel MacDonald.

The State Fire Marshal told the family they may never be able to live in that house again, but Victor said he's just glad all everyone left the burning house unhurt.

We could've all died. We are so thankful that nobody got hurt. We have a little bit of smoke [inhalation].  It's just things we lost, and somehow we'll replace them,” said Victor MacDonald.

“It kind of scared me, too, but I think they are going to pull through okay,” said neighbor Laura Wheeler.

Despite the fire, the MacDonalds said they will spend Thanksgiving as planned with friends in Erving.

Disaster relief Volunteers from the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross helped the family find a temporary place to stay.

And neighbors in Orange are donating clothes and food to help them as well.