SOUTH FORSYTH — The south Forsyth family who woke at 4 a.m. Friday to a destructive fire burning through their home of 20 years may have escaped without physical harm, but they lost every worldly possession inside.

The youngest son, a sixth-grader, happened to be up late playing online video games. Before going to bed, he followed a strange noise and found the back of the two-story house was on fire, said Charley Smith, operating manager for the Aberdeen Homeowners Association.

He woke his family while a brother — he has one in seventh grade and another ninth — called 911.

They got out in time — the mother even went back for the dog — but were not able to take anything with them.

According to the GoFundMe site, gofundme.com/polston, the Polston family lost photos, documents, heirlooms and antiques. They didn’t even have time to put on their shoes.

The website, which allows people to create fundraisers for any cause, had collected nearly $9,000 as of Tuesday morning.

Smith said the site is one way people can help the family — two parents and three children live in the home, not including at least one adult child — start over.

“We’ve collected a lot of clothing, so that immediate need has been met,” Smith said. “The response from the community has been very positive, almost overwhelmingly so.”

They also have received gift cards to buy the three children school supplies.

In addition to the online site, Smith said money can be directly deposited into a SunTrust account opened for the family. When going to any SunTrust branch, fill out a deposit slip for account 1000178671375. Make it out to FBO Polston Family.

Forsyth County Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers said “there’s nothing about [the fire] that leads us to believe there’s anything suspicious, but the cause and origin have not yet been determined.”