Community rallies around Renfrew, Ont. family who lost everything in house fire
Around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1, the Renfrew Fire Department responded to a house fire at 54 Graham Ave. Shortly after, Chris Stokes came back home having just left for work to find everything in his home destroyed.
"Within 15 minutes it was gone," Stokes tells CTV News. "The smoke damage—I can't get over how bad smoke damage can be."
Stokes says Renfrew's fire chief told him the fire was electrical, and started under the fridge.
"I've convinced myself that it's a mouse because it's a little easier to sleep that way," says the 39-year-old. "I almost lost my two boys and my dog in one sitting."
Firefighters believe the fire in Chris Stokes's home was electrical and nature and started under the fridge. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)
To compound the situation, the single father of two boys, 12 and 14, says he did not have home insurance. Co-worker and friend Caleb Bennett says Stokes was already working overtime to make ends meet and buy Christmas presents for his sons, which were also destroyed.
"As soon as I heard the news that there had been a fire at his house I kind of assumed the worst and imagined it was going to be a worst case scenario," says Bennett. "I automatically starting thinking he was going to need some money."
Bennett started a fundraiser which has already raised more than $5,000 for the family. Clothing and furniture donations have come pouring in since Wednesday as well.
"There's no more need for winter clothing for any of the boys, either of the boys or Chris," says Bennett. "Coats, jackets, gloves, boots, shoes, everything. I've been overwhelmed with getting messages. Support from the community has been unbelievable."
Stokes took Friday to go through the home to salvage anything that may be left, which he says wasn't much. He says he now has three options: gut the entire house and fix it up, tear down the home and rebuild, or sell it as it. The father of two admits he has had time to decide what to do between crying and praying. He also says the response from the community has left him shocked.
Chris Stokes's home in Renfrew, Ont. was seriously damaged by a fire on Wed., Dec. 1. The community is now rallying to help replace what he and his two sons lost in the blaze. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)
"Not going to lie to you guys, I wasn't a fan of this place, I wasn't a fan of Renfrew," Stokes said as he shook his head. "And today I love Renfrew."
"It just shows what a community we have here and that there's just such a Christmas spirit," says Bennett. "People understand that giving is what it's all about, and just taking care of each other."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.