The fire destroyed their house. It could have been worse. Now, a community at its best.

Julie Dafforn was at her son's softball game in Greenwood when she received a call from Bella last Saturday.

The house is on fire, the Lawrence North junior calmly told her mother.

There were four fire trucks on scene by the time Julie returned home.

A fire had started in the kitchen and spread through the entire first floor and into the basement, causing massive damage and displacing the family of six for the foreseeable future. Now Julie, a coach with Circle City volleyball, her husband David and their children Bella (who plays libero for the LN volleyball team), Grant, Sofia and Nora are trying to rebuild their lives.

But they're not alone.

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A GoFundMe page organized by Circle City VBC had already raised about $5,000 by the time Julie found out about it and was approaching $15,000 as of Friday morning. They're like a second family, Julie said, expressing gratitude for the support they've also received from their friends at Team Indiana Volleyball Club and St. Simon The Apostle Church, where fellow parishioners have donated gift cards and offered to organize meal trains.

"Realizing how much love and support (from) people that you don't even know — it's really amazing," Julie said, fighting back tears as she continued. "It makes me realize how blessed our family is."

Julie was in a panic after receiving Bella's call last weekend. She knew nothing of the fire's extent, only that her daughter had climbed through a window and was OK — information she learned from a family friend whom Bella had contacted shortly before her phone died.

"I saw Bella standing there with paramedics and it dawned on me what could have happened," Julie said. "We're very blessed everyone's OK."

Firefighters cautioned Julie for what she and her family were walking into. "It's not going to look like your home. You're not going to recognize it." And the reality quickly sank in as she approached the kicked-in front door.

Everything was covered in soot and black, Julie recalled, recounting her path through the entryway past melted picture frames and into the kitchen where appliances were melted down (including the washer and dryer in the attached laundry room) and cabinets were "disintegrated" off the wall. There was smoke and ash throughout the entire house, she continued.

"Everything was black and wet," Julie said. "It was just really scary and it made everything more intense and kind of unbelievable."

GoFundMe: Support Coach Julie Dafforn's Family Rebuild

The family has not received an estimate on the damage, but they have been told the basement and first floor are "unsalvageable." The upstairs is "all soot and smoke" so they are uncertain what can be saved from there. Julie said they've heard an estimated range of six months to a year for everything to be repaired or restored. "We're just kind of taking it one day at a time right now."

For now the family is staying at a hotel until the insurance company is able to help them with a rental home.

Bella has spoken with school counselors and seems to be doing well, Julie said, describing her daughter as very composed. "She's just going to school, doing her work and trying to get recruited — trying to be a normal teenager, I guess. (laughs)"

As for the outpouring of support Bella and the entire family have received, Julie said it's been "overwhelming."

"We are so grateful and thankful for our community and family and for all the help and support we've received," she continued. "We would not be doing as well as we are without all of our volleyball families and our church families blessing us."

Those interested in supporting the Dafforn family may do so via their GoFundMe page: Search "Julie Dafforn."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fire destroys house of Indy volleyball coach. Community steps up.