FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Fairless Hills man known throughout Bucks County as "Santa Scott" is being lifted by the same community he's brought joy to for more than four decades after a fire destroyed his family's home over the weekend.
Scott Diethorne and his family lost everything when flames tore through their home on Auburn Road late Saturday night.
Diethorne, his wife Nancy, two of their nine children, and one of their 13 grandchildren were not home at the time as they had gone out to celebrate a birthday.
"We were debating whether to go or not because we were a little tired, so it was like 8:30 and we said, 'Fine, let's go,'" Diethorne said. "Good thing we did because we probably wouldn't have made it out."
Tragically, the family's two Italian mastiffs, Tio and Ozzy, and their parrot, Emerald, didn't survive.
Neighbor Brian Brennan said he rushed to the home when he spotted the flames.
"I ran immediately over here. There were people knocking on the door," he said. "By the time I made it to the front door to the side the whole front yard was filled with black smoke."
For more than 40 years, Diethorne has donned the red suit as "Santa Scott," spreading Christmas cheer at Charlann's Farm, Fairless Hills Garden Center, Kisses for Kyle, and Miss Philly Grill.
"The whole reason I do Santa is because I want everybody to be happy," he said. "Forget about your troubles for a couple of minutes with me, you know, have the kids walk away thinking that everything's gonna be all right when we all know what it's really like."
Now, the man who's spent years giving to others says accepting help doesn't come easily.
"The community has helped us so much, and... I'm not a guy who takes help very easy," Diethorne said, tearing up. "I can't thank anybody enough. I mean, this is beyond what I could've imagined. I've got people dropping clothes off, and my clothes ain't easy to find!"
In the days since the fire, neighbors and strangers alike have raised more than $100,000 and donated clothing, supplies, and even Santa suits from other performers.
"The outreach is beyond anything I could ever comprehend," Diethorne said. "Thank you, you don't know how much it means to me because I was looking at a long uphill... It's still gonna be an uphill climb, but that's gonna help."
His daughter, Sara Sokalski, said the support has been overwhelming.
"It's really hard for them to accept the help; it's so beautiful that so many people want to help," she said. "My parents and my siblings who still lived here, they're not gonna have normal for a very long time... those words of encouragement for moving forward from this are also gonna mean a lot to them as they try to navigate a new normal that's gonna take a long time."
Diethorne said his wife, who is terminally ill, remains his top priority. Even through the heartbreak, Diethorne says he'll find a way to spread Christmas cheer again this year.
"I'll be there, I'll figure it out even if I have to do jeans and a red t-shirt - we're gonna do it," he said.
"The problem is, I don't wear an extra slim," he joked. "I just wish the whole world could be like our community here, you know, and there would be no trouble."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though officials say it began in the attic. Diethorne believes it was likely electrical.