A Bracebridge family has been displaced after a fire destroyed their home.
Nicki Townes is the sister of Natalie Hoolans who, along with her husband Tyler and son Deacon, lost their home on Friday, Dec. 16.
Murray Medley, Fire Chief for the Bracebridge Fire Department, says the home was on Taylor Rd. near the Rosewarne Landfill. He describes the home as a “total loss.”
“[Tyler] heard some noise in the basement,” explains Medley. “The family was sitting around the dining room table. He went down to investigate and noticed the fire. It was in behind the furnace. He attempted to put it out with a garden hose.”
When Hoolans realized he wouldn’t be able to put the fire out, Medley says he rounded up his wife, son, parents, and two cats and got out safely.
Medley says the fire department was called to the scene around 7 and remained until around 9 o’clock Friday night. “By the time we arrived, it was fully involved,” he says.
“They’ve lost everything,” says Townes.
Townes says the couple is staying at their parent’s house along with Deacon. She adds they’re working with insurance to replace what was lost but says that likely won’t be solved until after Christmas.
A GoFundMe has been started by Rob Whyte, a friend of Tyler’s, to cover short-term costs, namely food.
Luckily, many of Deacon’s Christmas presents have been replaced. Townes says since the fire they’ve gone back to the retailers where the toys were purchased to replace the burned toys. “They didn’t ask for them to be paid for again,” says Townes, adding one of them was a “huge, big toy truck” that was worth over $100.