SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A week after a fire destroyed a home in the Kam Lake Industrial Park, the family of four who lived there are trying to pick up the pieces.

However, they won't be doing it alone.

In a rally cry familiar to Yellowknife, friends of the family are coming together to help raise money for the family to replace their belongings lost in the fire, which ripped through their home on May 10.

Arli Terry, a close friend of the family - who wish to remain anonymous - is organizing a community garage sale for May 29 to help raise money so the family can purchase household products they need.

"I just wanted to do something for them," she said. "I figured it would be a good way to raise money for them."

Terry said since getting the word out to the public about the garage sale, they have been receiving phone calls and donations all weekend.

"The family has been given a lot of things as well," she said. "There are some things they've been given too much of and some things they don't have anything of, so at least this way they can pick what they need and we will raise the profits to cover the costs."

The fire department was unable to save the home when it caught fire. It took no more than 20 minutes for the home to be completely engulfed in flames.

All that remained was a smoldering pile of rubble, which included many household items and small essentials that make a home run smoothly.

"She had mentioned some kitchen items, mostly household things, like pots and pans," Terry said of the mother of the family and what they need to rebuild their home.

"Things you don't really think about, like hangers and other essentials."

Since the blaze, Yellowknife Fire Department officials have been working to determine the cause of the fire. At press time the cause was still unknown.

Terry said J&R Mechanical has donated storage space to keep all the items until the garage sale and Weaver & Devore has offered tables to sell the items on.

"They've been a great help," she said of the two businesses.

And even if garage sale-goers can't find any diamonds in the rough, they can still donate to the cause. Terry said a donation jar will be set up for people to offer their support for the family.

"There will be tonnes of stuff so we hope we have a good turnout," Terry said.