Tragedy struck on July 19, when a fire started in Stephanie Wilson’s home where she was living with her two daughters on Shoniker Drive in Newmarket.
The family lost almost everything, their home, their memories, and their belongings. The traumatic event has led to them living in a motel and not sure where to turn next.
“It’s all so surreal,” said Wilson. “I still kind of feel like I’m walking around in a daze. We don’t have any family close by and so we’re in a one-room place and it’s really hard. We don’t have anywhere else to go and the motel bill is ringing up.”
When Wilson left for work that Wednesday afternoon, everything was fine, and when her older daughter left later that day, there was nothing wrong. But when her older daughter returned about an hour later, she could hear the smoke alarm going off.
“When she opened the door, black smoke just blew out of the house,” said Wilson. “She tried to run in to find our two cats, and the smoke was just too overpowering.”
Before her older daughter went into the home, she had called 911, then she called Wilson, who was in Toronto heading home from work.
“She was frantic and terrified,” said Wilson. “She was crying and screaming, ‘Mum, our house is on fire. Our house is on fire.’ I had to drive home in rush hour traffic on the highway and the whole time I had a huge lump in my throat, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I thought I was going to throw up. It was the worst drive of my life.”
Wilson and her daughters had lived in the home for just over a year and a half, and now they’re trying to piece their lives back together.
“We’re trying to sort through our belongings and say goodbye to the majority of them,” said Wilson. “Seeing these things fire, water, and smoke damaged just going in the garbage is heartbreaking. Your whole life is turned upside down and taken away from you.”
Navigating the pain of losing almost everything while also trying to keep moving forward to rebuild their lives hasn’t been easy, but Wilson said they don’t have any other choice.
“We’re taking it one day at a time and trying to tackle each day the best we can,” she said. “That’s all you can do. We’re safe and that’s the most important thing. You can’t sit and dwell and cry and be upset. You have to keep pushing forward. I’m a single mom and I’ve had to push forward through a lot of things in my life and you just have to keep going. You have to pick yourself up and try to create some sort of normalcy.”
While the cause of the fire was undetermined, two fire investigators from different insurance companies suspect it started in a box full of old batteries and cords.
“That’s something that doesn’t get stressed enough,” Wilson said. “People don’t realize there’s a reason you’re supposed to expose of batteries correctly. I didn’t know that batteries could cause things like this until this happened. If that information helps people learn, then it did what it needed to do.”
Even through the hardships that have come with the fire, Wilson gets emotional thinking about the speed of the first responders and the support they’ve shown to the family during this difficult time.
“The firefighters and police were here within five minutes of the call,” she said through tears. “They’ve been so supportive on an emotional basis, they saved our cats. They were so amazing, I can’t say enough good things about them.”
Family friend Piper Smith started a GoFundMe to help the family get back on their feet after the house fire. Right now the GoFundMe has raised more than $12,000 from 94 donations. The goal is to hit $30,000.
“My best friend and her lovely family suffered a house fire,” Smith wrote. “I’m starting this for their family, as their insurance is minimal and will only replace a fraction of their belongings. If you have anything to donate, they would really appreciate the help. They are also looking for any help with resources or assistance with finding a new place to live.”
Wilson said it makes her want to cry seeing the community come together to help a family in need.
“So many of our friends have kindly donated and so many people have offered to donate clothes,” she said. “I’ve always been a giver and always try not to ask for help, but to see this outpouring is overwhelming and it gives me hope. It gives me hope for us to get back on track and it gives me hope in humanity. I don’t know how we would have managed without the support of our community.”
Donate to the GoFundMe here.
