WA Today

• Chris Thomson

Fremantle local Luc Longley helps to rebuild Marysville.

Knowing what it feels like to have his house gutted by fire, retired Chicago Bulls centre Luc Longley has thrown his weight behind a fund to help Victorian bushfire victims.

Proceeds from a City of Fremantle bushfire fundraiser to be held on March 1 will fund a project spearheaded by Freo local Longley, actor Russell Crowe, and the NSW City of Coffs Harbour to build the devastated town of Marysville a new community hall.

Longley's converted Fremantle warehouse, which housed his home as well as a personal basketball court, was destroyed by fire in 2007.

The retired hoopman said the sheer speed with which the fire took hold, the devastation, and how vulnerable it made him feel for his family, had a huge impact.

Longley said the memories of the traumatic night, when he rescued his family from the burning home, flooded back during the Victorian blazes.

During the fires, Longley was a guest speaker at a South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby league training camp in Coffs Harbour with team co-owner and Hollywood actor Russell Crowe. Later at dinner, the two celebrities talked about helping the Victoria aid appeal.

"I told them about this idea of building a community hall to provide people with a starting point for reviving the community," Longley said.

"It will be a place to hold meetings, fundraisers, house a creche, have dances and music - there's just so much you can do in and with a community hall.

"We've raised a lot of money so far with Russell's donation, mine and my family's, including my brother-in-law Ben Elton, my ex-wife, my wife and I and other people in the Fremantle community."

Coffs Harbour council is co-ordinating the effort. About $15,000 in cash and in-kind donations such as cement, a netball court, wiring and power, has been raised to date.

Fremantle Mayor Peter Tagliaferri decided to chime the proceeds of his city's fundraiser into the community hall project after meeting with Longley.