Debbie could smell it, though Lenny — who had just got done grilling their meal outside — couldn’t detect anything.

However, the smell lingered, and Debbie soon saw a glow coming from a laundry room. Within moments it became clear their home was on fire.

“My dad did what he could to put it out,” said the Carlsons’ daughter, Brittany. “There wasn’t much he could do so they grabbed the dogs and went out.”

Firefighters were called to the property around 7:45 p.m. Kennedy Fire Chief Keith Bean said he arrived to find flames and quickly called for support from neighboring volunteer departments.

Some crews remained on scene past midnight.

Fire ripped through several rooms, and where flames didn’t inflict damage, smoke certainly did, the family stated. It’s believed that grease from the grill may have ignited and sparked the fire.

Anything deemed salvageable has been moved to a large garage near the home. Brittany Carlson said her mom lost “just about everything” while her dad’s belongings have either been destroyed or have smoke damage.

Debbie is from Falconer, while Lenny is from Bemus Point. The pair previously lived around the lake but moved to the far more rural town of Poland about five years ago.

“They’d do just about anything for anyone,” Brittany Carlson said of her parents.

Following the fire, the Carlsons lived with their daughter for a couple of days but have since moved into a camper placed in the driveway of their home.

“Community support has been phenomenal,” Brittany Carlson said of those who have reached out to her parents or have donated items. “People have been here every day.”

A GoFundMe (https://gofund.me/84fdb036) has been started to help the Carlsons with recovering. As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser has brought in more than $3,300.

“I got a phone call that no one wants to hear,” the pair’s son, Bradley, said on GoFundMe, “it was my parents in tears telling me that their home was on fire. Five fire departments responded, making multiple trips to the creek for water to put out the blaze. It was devastating. Their home is a total loss, most of their belongings are unsalvageable, and a lot of memories were damaged in the fire. However, we are just so thankful that my parents and the pups made it out safely.

“If any of you know Debbie or Lenny you should know that there’s always a plate of food if you stop by, a beer in the fridge, and they’re always a helping hand if you need it. Lenny would give you the shirt off of his back and not expect anything in return. He may frown upon me making this because he has so much pride, but I’m doing this for my Mother and Father because they hardly ask anyone for help and financially they are going to be hurting because their mortgage was fairly new and the price of lumber and supplies is outrageously expensive right now.”

Lenny and Debbie Carlson hope to place a new home on the same plot of land.