A Surrey, B.C. family who recently lost a dear friend – and their home – in a fire has been dealt another blow, just weeks before Christmas. 

Michele Iwaczewski and her four children have been looking for a new place to live for almost two weeks, since a blaze broke out in the basement suite of the property they were renting on Scott Road, damaging their unit and leaving them homeless.

They've been staying with a family friend in the meantime, but this week, just as things were beginning to settle down, they made a troubling discovery: their old home was broken into and ransacked.

"I just can't believe that somebody could actually do this," Michele said. "My kids were starting to heal."

The Nov. 18 fire was traumatizing enough for the family; it killed their downstairs neighbour, a man named Al, despite a heroic attempt to save him.

Michele's son, Reshad, and his best friend risked their lives entering the smoke-filled basement suite and pulling him out.

"We ended up crawling in on our bellies to get in," Reshad said. "We pulled out Al, we dragged him as far as we could toward the door. Everyone else, once we were close enough, they grabbed him and pulled him right to the edge of the door where he could get some fresh air."

Al, who Michele described as a father figure to her, was rushed to hospital, but sadly did not survive.

The family has been reeling since the tragedy, and hadn't even been allowed to return to the home to gather their things before opportunistic thieves found a way inside.

They appear to have entered through the only window that wasn't boarded up after the blaze, according to Reshad, who discovered the theft.

"Yesterday, my mother was driving by going to a church group in Burnaby and she noticed the gate was open and the car was missing," he said. "I drove down there myself to check… the screening was ripped out, window was slid open."

Their home was in disarray, with boot marks everywhere, clothes strewn around, and drawers ripped out and left on the ground. Their car, some electronics and gold from Iran, which belonged to the children, was stolen, and there could be more; the family hasn't been able to tally up everything that's missing.

Reshad said it was disheartening to see some of the last remnants of their old life, which they hoped to collect and bring with them wherever they eventually move, snatched away.

"We were looking for familiarity," he said. "Something that we could just take with us to another home that would make it that extra bit comfortable. Something that we could hold onto."

Michele said she'll be going back to the home soon, and the one thing she really hopes to find intact are her pictures of her kids.

"That's something that I can't replace," she said.

They reported the theft to police, and were told there is a chance they'll see their car again. The family said it's a silver, two-door, 2005 Chevy Cobalt, and asked anyone who sees it to call the RCMP.

The one silver lining, the family said, is the touching support they've received from relatives, friends and complete strangers, either through simple gestures or donations to the online fundraiser set up to help them back on their feet.

"It's unbelievable, it's really overwhelming. It makes our hearts swell, it absolutely does," Reshad said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Scott Hurst