Stranger donates house to firefighter and his family who lost their home in blaze

A firefighter from Pennsylvania received the horrific call so many others have during his 10 years of service.

While away on a hunting trip earlier this month with wife Jessica and their five-year-old dauighter, J.J. Lyons was told his house was ablaze and returned home immediately.

The fire, which was caused by an electrical malfunction in the basement, gutted their house, causing $522,000 (US$400K) worth of damage.

J.J told local ABC News that so close to Christmas, the family had no idea where to go, what to do or "if we were going to be OK".

Cue the local community, who rallied behind them, collecting clothing, blankets, toys and household items.

And if that wasn’t enough, one local resident - a stranger to the Lyons family - donated the most generous gift of all.

Joe Miller had inherited his mother's house earlier this year and was looking to sell the property.

Instead, when he heard of the Lyons family's plight, he offered them a place to stay until they got back on their feet.

"I told JJ that we can't bring his house back.  We can't bring his dog or his cat back but could help him this way and it means a lot for us to do that,” Miller told the local TV station.