OTTAWA -- The community is rallying around a local mother, fighting for her life in hospital, after a devastating fire that claimed the lives of her two daughters.
It's an insurmountable loss for Christopher Paré. His granddaughters, four-year-old Brooklyn and six-year-old Kiersten, died when their house in La Pêche, Que. went up in flames Saturday night.
"They were the best little girls in the world," said an emotional Paré, holding back tears. "The community is calling me; teachers are calling me about how they're going to miss those smiles."
His daughter, 26-year-old Ashley Paré, was home with her children and her boyfriend at the time of the fire. Neighbours say the two adults jumped from a window to escape.
"Let's just keep our hearts and prayers for Ashley," says Paré. "My guess is that, being a parent, she tried to save her children and that's how she burned herself."
Paré started a GoFundMe in order to help his daughter, who is currently at a Montreal hospital in a medically induced coma. She suffered second-degree burns to more than 30 per cent of her body. Her boyfriend was treated for minor injuries.
The fundraiser was set up so that extended family could help; however, the response from friends and neighbours has been overwhelming and the goal has already been surpassed.
The cause of the deadly blaze is still under investigation and Quebec provincial police have been called in to help. Paré says Ashley will need more surgeries and will likely remain in hospital for at least three weeks.
Paré thanked the community for their help providing some comfort in a time of such unthinkable loss.
