We watched in disbelief as our home burned, realizing in that moment how quickly tragedy can strike and how lucky we were to have escaped safely.
At 5:00 a.m., I scrambled to get my children and family out safely as smoke filled our home, watching in disbelief as fire consumed our house while we huddled outside, grateful to be unharmed.
We stood in disbelief; can this really be happening to us? It’s in this moment of stillness we first witnessed the type of community we live in. The sound of a boat heading towards us. The calls up the embankment were from a nearby neighbour who saw the smoke from across the lake and wanted to make sure we were awake and okay.
The simple kindness of this act is just the first of many moments we experienced over the next few weeks. When the firemen arrived, they sprang into action. They worked tirelessly to extinguish the fire.
7:00 a.m. The fire is finally out and somehow; I feel as if I have lost an entire day in time. I find myself standing with a group of firefighters, apologizing for the mess of our home. Looking back now, I realize how in denial I truly was. I explained we were in the middle of a kitchen renovation, leaving the main floor of our home in chaos. Their eyes say it all the renovation mess was replaced with an incomprehensible disaster.
Nothing could have prepared me for the aftermath of the fire. The images, the smell, the complete feeling of loss will stay with me forever. As the firemen started to bring personal items out of the house, I quickly realized there was not much left to salvage. When you think of a fire, you imagine the flames, but nothing could have prepared me for the smoke damage.
Every item the clothes in drawers, the seemingly untouched toy basket, the toothbrushes on the bathroom counter were coated in a thick black smoke with a scent that can never be extinguished. Even to this day, I find it difficult to believe all our personal possessions are gone. I never considered myself a materialistic person, however I have always considered myself to be sentimental, and it is in this sentimentality I found myself starting to crumble.
My immediate thoughts went to the irreplaceable items. The tiny handprint flowerpot my oldest daughter made me for Mother’s Day two years ago, the ‘first Christmas’ ornaments I had pulled out of storage a few days before, and my wedding rings I had stored in my jewellery box for safe keeping.
It was in this moment, as I stood heartbroken, I witnessed one of the most personal moments of kindness. When the firefighters heard about my wedding rings, they immediately sprung into action. Using a ladder to climb through the upstairs bathroom window, they managed to retrieve my jewellery box from the bedroom. Somehow, my rings survived the fire.
When the fire was finally out and we sat to catch our breath, it was time to come up with a plan. Our neighbours, so generously, offered for us to stay next door in their cottage. My husband and I decided I would go to my parent’s house for the week with the girls. My husband and I each set out with our own set of tasks. I needed to replace the
things we needed to get us through the first few weeks. My husband took on the role of working with the insurance company.
So many people came to our side during this week and made an unbearable situation bearable. Our neighbour’s, who so generously offered for us to stay at their cottage; my best friend, who spent an entire day shopping with me and made me laugh; my sister, who gave the girls the best week and made things feel normal for them; to the community who brought food and toys for the girls. And finally, to my sweet baby niece, who was born the morning of the fire. Having her come into our lives on the same day of the fire felt like divine intervention. She came on one of our darkest days, shining a bright lasting light.
In the week after the fire, I wrestled with “what ifs” and grieved the loss of our home and memories, while recognizing that our safety was all that truly mattered. Embracing control over what we can, we chose to turn the tragedy into a new adventure, planning an RV journey to create fresh memories with our young children.
