Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
A young family is thankfully safe but now looking for a place to live after their home was destroyed by fire on Jan. 15.
Kyle and Kate Carneiro along with their three children were fortunately outside when the blaze occurred, though one cat is still missing.
West Nipissing Fire Chief Frank Leoffen says the call came in just before 3 pm alerting them to a fire at 150 Eugene Road in Verner. Three stations responded with 20 firefighters on site until the blaze was extinguished between 9 pm and 10pm. Loeffen says he then kept a crew overnight to watch for hot spots.
The chief returned on the morning of the 16th to begin his investigation. The fire, which started in the basement, was deemed accidental. Chief Loeffen estimates the loss at approximately $600,000, including the contents and the structure. With the amount of heat and smoke damage, the building will not be salvageable, he says. In fact, the chief notes that the floor in the kitchen sunk even more between his initial inspection and his latest on January 18th. Investigation has now been turned over to the insurance company.
Chief Loeffen does point out that smoke detectors made a big difference with early detection of this fire, and calls this a prime example of why having smoke alarms is important. While the family was outside when smoke detectors went off inside, they heard the alarm and quickly called the fire department. “They will give you the advance warning and will allow you to get out of the house,” he reminds West Nipissing residents.
The owners of the home, Kyle and Kate Carneiro are now looking for a place to stay with their children and pets, until they can eventually rebuild. “I work from home, so I need something set up ASAP, or I don’t have an income,” worries Kate.
The family has already received some community support and donations, with friends taking to Facebook to ask for support on their behalf. However, their biggest priority is finding somewhere to live. They are thankful to the community for the help, and have also provided an email if people want to contact them and ask what they may need, or if they have any information on a place to rent.
The email is kylecarneiro@gmail.com.
