A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to aid a family who lost their home and all their belongings in a fire on Wednesday morning.
Oro-Medonte fire crews were called to 18 Lake View Dr. just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday and found a home completely engulfed in flames.
Emily, Charlie, Katie, Brooke, and Colton Jarvis are “mourning the loss of their beloved dog” Sadie, who was killed in the fire according to the GoFundMe created by family friend Andrea Askew.
“They are grateful to have gotten out safely,” Askew wrote, noting the family is “now faced with the daunting task of recovering from the total loss of their home and all their personal belongings.”
While Askew says insurance will help the family to build a new home, they are in dire need of things such as clothing, toiletries, meals, pet needs, and other essential items. Already, the GoFundMe has raised $7,625 of its $10,000 fundraising goal.
Christine Charman, the mother of Charlie and grandmother of Katie, Brooke, and Colton, posted on a Coldwater Facebook page that the family “lost everything” in the fire, but have since received support from members of community and followers of the page.
“I am overwhelmed by the generosity this group has shown in the last 12 hours,” she said in the post. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Jenny Legget, a township spokesperson, said the fire is not considered suspicious.
While the cause of the blaze is undetermined, the fire department is "currently concluding their investigation," she said, noting the Ontario Fire Marshal was not called.
There were working smoke alarms in the home, she said.
She said no firefighters were injured while fighting the fire, "but the conditions were very challenging given the outdoor temperature (heat and humidity), and temperature associated with the fire."
She said firefighters worked "very hard and took quick, immediate action."
While a damage estimate could not be provided, the house is considered a "total loss," she said.
