An Onalaska family is suffering a double dose of despair after a family member was allegedly murdered three months ago and the family home went up in flames earlier this month.

Bonnie Vance and her son, Larry, said they’re relying on their strong faith in God to get them through the destruction of the home they shared with her 11-year-old great grandson.

“Kinda devastating,” Bonnie said.

“He says He’ll never let us go through more than we can withstand, but it’s hard,” Larry said.

The fire happened exactly three months after Bonnie’s other son, Terry, was stabbed to death inside the same house, allegedly by his son, Joshua, who had suffered from mental illness in the past.

“He is a sick boy, he always has been, but I love him dearly,” Bonnie said.

The fire destroyed the family’s belongings and killed five family dogs and a cat.

“They brought so much comfort through the last few months,” Bonnie said.

Despite the tragedies, the surviving family members said they’re thankful. The community rallied to find them a new home to live in for now; the furnishings inside were all donated, and some photos and other keepsakes were salvaged from the fire.

“We just have to trust and believe that God has a plan,” Larry said. “I don’t know what it is.”

“With God’s love and everybody else, you can’t get down,” Bonnie said.

The family is still salvaging what they can. They’ve lived in the area for 39 years.

They said they’d like to bring a new mobile home onto the site of the old one, but they don’t know if they’ll be able to afford it.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Investigators said they believe some sort of electrical problem started the blaze.