In the early morning hours of August 6, at approximately 4:15 a.m., our family’s life changed in an instant.

My husband Jason’s company shop, Campbell’s Lawn Care, was completely destroyed after an explosion caused a massive fire. The explosion was so powerful that residents a quarter of a mile away were woken by it.

Thankfully, our multi-generational home, which sits extremely close to the shop, was spared. Our parents, our two incredible kids, Jason and I, our parents’ dog, and my parrots are safe. For that, we are more grateful than words can express.

But what Jason lost in that shop represents nearly his entire life.

Jason started Campbell’s Lawn Care in the early ’90s when he was just a young teenager. Over the decades, he built his business, his shop, and an incredible collection of tools piece by piece. His shop wasn't just where he worked—it was his happy place. He was in there every single day.

Thankfully, his large mowers and trucks were stored in another building and survived. But nearly everything needed to maintain and repair them, operate his business, work on our home, and keep everything running is gone.

The shop held an enormous collection of Knipex hand tools, DeWalt power tools and batteries, Kobalt sockets and torque tools, air compressors, professional chainsaws and hedge trimmers, welders, mechanic toolboxes filled from top to bottom, pressure washers, generators, diagnostic equipment, plumbing and electrical supplies, scaffolding, jacks, saws, grinders, sanders, nail guns, impact guns, hand tools, maintenance supplies, mower parts, and decades' worth of equipment.

But some of the greatest losses can't simply be purchased again.

Jason lost the socket set he received for his 18th birthday.

Our son Danny lost the socket set we gave him for his 18th birthday.

Jason's passion for tools has been passed down to our son, and we have been building Danny's collection since he was a small child so that someday, when it was time for him to leave the nest, he would have a proper start. For his very first Christmas, we gave him a utility wagon cart that we could pull him around in as a baby, knowing one day he could use it himself. It was supposed to last him a lifetime.

It is gone, too.

Danny's tool bags, toolboxes, tool carts, power tools, and hand tools were all stored in the shop.

Jason's father, Daniel, also lost decades of plumbing, electrical, and draftsman tools from his years working at our local power plant and as the local handyman.

There were even tools passed down from our deceased grandfather from his time at Westinghouse, where he created and invented things that are still used in power plants today.

Three generations of tools, memories, projects, and history disappeared in a matter of minutes.

These three men could build an entire house from dirt to drapes together. Now, as difficult as it is to say, they don't even have a hammer to begin rebuilding.

The force of the explosion is difficult to put into words. One of the massive garage doors near the starting point of the explosion was crumpled into a ball and launched approximately 15–20 feet. The garage door on the opposite end was blown several feet into the building. Large mechanic toolboxes were blasted into the driveway, leaving debris scattered everywhere.

Three additional structures also sustained damage, some potentially a total loss.

And amid all of the physical things we lost, our family suffered a heartbreaking loss that no amount of money can replace.

We lost Jason's beautiful, perfect cat, whom we believe was taken instantly by the explosion. She was a once-in-a-lifetime creature who changed all of us for the better, and we are absolutely devastated by her loss.

I keep looking at my husband and seeing the devastation in his eyes. Jason is my rock. He is the person who holds this entire family together, and right now I'm watching my rock crack.

Insurance will help, but it will only cover a fraction of what was actually inside that shop and what it will take to rebuild.

That is why I am asking for help.

Any money raised will go toward replacing the tools, equipment, supplies, and other necessities Jason needs to keep Campbell’s Lawn Care operating and to begin rebuilding what took him decades to create. It will also help replace tools belonging to our son and father and help our family recover from the tremendous losses caused by this fire.

No donation is too small. If you aren't able to donate, simply sharing our story would mean more than you know.

We are incredibly grateful to our neighbors who ran through the woods to alert us, got everyone safely outside, and stayed with us through those terrifying moments. Other neighbors rushed from their homes and across the street simply to help and be there. They showed us the true definition of community.

We are also forever grateful to the seven fire departments that responded. These volunteer firefighters came to our aid and battled an enormous fire while showing our family grace, humanity, and compassion during one of the lowest moments of our lives.

We know tools and buildings can eventually be replaced. We know how incredibly fortunate we are that our family is still here.

But Jason spent most of his life building what disappeared that morning.

If you can help us give him—and three generations of our family—the tools to begin again, we will be forever grateful.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for donating, sharing, praying for us, or simply taking the time to read our story.

—The Campbell Family