Firefighters battle a fire at a home on 26th Avenue on the morning of Oct. 8. The seven members of the family living at the house at the time have found a new home to rent, but is in need of a number of items. Photo by Laurena Weninger - Click on picture for larger image
OSOYOOS TIMES-October 14, 2009
By Laurena Weninger – Osoyoos Times
“I assumed it was a chimney fire,” said Lily Paradis, who, up until Oct. 8, lived at 9107 26th Ave. “I was in the house. We have an extra kitchen downstairs.”
Paradis was cleaning up that extra kitchen, because a group of mothers was coming over to use the basement to can vegetables.
She had just lit the wood stove in the basement and thought the smoky smell was from that.
She went and checked, but couldn’t see smoke coming from the stove door.
“Then I saw black smoke rolling out from under the bricks,” she said, adding that it seemed to be coming from an area under the stairs.
She ran into the basement’s rec room and grabbed the phone to call 911.
She made initial contact, but then dropped the phone to get her three-year-old son Jacob out. Her other children were all at school. Some members of the group that was arriving for the canning work party were standing out on the lawn, unaware that there was an issue.
“I said, ‘Here, take Jacob, the house is on fire,” Paradis said, thrusting her son at the women before running back in to give details to the 911 operator.
She then went up on the balcony to move the barbecue away from the house.
“You could hear the windows start to crackle,’ she said. “The smoke got really bad. Oh my God, it was so scary.”
Paradis and her husband, Ray, lived in the recently-renovated house with their five children.
Their oldest daughter moved out last summer.
Jacob is their youngest and the others are 17, 15, 12 and nine years old.
Osoyoos Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rick Jones confirmed the fire started somewhere in the basement and the cause is still under investigation.
The house was extensively damaged, as were its contents.
Three fire trucks were taken to the scene along with 15 firefighters.
The department was on scene for about five hours and went back later to make sure the fire was completely out.
A fire inspector and the insurance company are due to look at the home next week.
For now, the Paradis family has none of their belongings.
For three days, they were put up at Osoyoos’s Holiday Inn by Emergency Social Services.
The hotel has given the family an extra night for free.
“I can’t believe all the people who have offered to help,” Paradis said.
The family has already found an empty home to rent, a cost that will be covered by insurance.
But so far, they have very little to put into the house.
A few beds have been donated and some furniture.
“I think someone donated a toaster and kettle,” Paradis said.
The list of what the family will need to re-establish their home is fairly long, said family friend Laurie Kenzie.
“As far as I know, the house is completely empty.”
Kenzie is available at 250-495-3698 and is willing to help anyone interested in donating to the family.
[email protected]
