Friends of a couple left homeless by a fire on Fernie Road are asking the community to lend a helping hand.

Alanna Wanstall and Darcy McIvor have set up a trust account in their names for the couple, who have asked the media for privacy.

"It's been really tough (for them) losing everything," Wanstall told The Daily News on Friday.

People can donate at any one of the city's TD Canada Trust outlets by providing Wanstall and McIvor names.

Wanstall said the couple needs everything from clothing to furniture and small appliances like a microwave. They currently live in a hotel but are looking for a new place to call home. She said they were renting the home in Powers Addition and will likely rent again.

Neighbours phoned Kamloops Fire Rescue at around 1:30 p.m. to report smoke billowing out of the Fernie property

The property was empty at the time except for a dog, cat and a rabbit. It was originally thought that only the dog survived but Wanstall said the cat eventually turned up.

"The cat was actually found. He's staying with me," she said. "The cat had been in her family for 10 or 11 years. She's ecstatic about the cat."

Some residents reported hearing an explosion prior to the fire starting. A fire investigator's findings were inconclusive.

Authorities determined that the point of origin was in the middle of the living room, but there was no evidence of a source.