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
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.