Central Iowa family gets generous surprise on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
Jennifer Ghelf and Dean Lange's lives were turned upside down in a single afternoon back on Jan. 14.
The couple's daughter, Faith, smelled smoke in the house and told her mother. Ghelf thought she'd find a stove burner on or another small source for the fire. Instead, she found the walls around their fireplace ablaze.
Ghelf and Faith — and their pets — were able to safely evacuate. Lange had been out running errands.
The fire continued to spread and, despite the efforts of the Norwalk Fire Department and other crews called in to help, the home was a total loss.
Ghelf and Lange are both longtime teachers and soon after the fire, a former student set up a GoFundMe to help the family rebuild -- and within two days, it had nearly $35,000 donated.
On Tuesday, the country had a front-row seat to seeing the Norwalk family's life turn right side up again as they were special guests on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." After telling their story on the show, the family received the surprise of a lifetime — a $25,000 gift from Kidde, a fire safety product company, to help build their new dream home.
Watch: Jennifer Ghelf and Dean Lange talk about what the trip to the 'Kelly Clarkson Show' meant for their family
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