Out of control the fire engulfs the Rousseau family home on February 26.
Photos submitted
On Sunday, February 26 the family of Jean-Claude and Danielle Rousseau, located a few kilometers southwest of Vermilion, lost their home tragically in a fire.
According to Danielle Rousseau, the fire began in the laundry room of the house, inside the dryer. Both the Mannville and the Vermilion Fire Departments attended the scene and Firefighters had to demolish the house to quench the flames.
“They got out with only the clothes on their backs,” said one Mannville Fire Fighter who was on the scene.
“Our two young sons, four-year-old Daxton and five-year-old Hudson, were luckily not at home at the time. My husband was outside when he first saw the smoke. He called 911, and then went into the house to see if he could save any of our animals, and he managed to save two cats. It’s really surreal. You always think that a fire is something that happens to somebody else. It’s really humbling to see the support we have gotten from the community,” said Danielle Rousseau.
The Reid family from Vermilion, who also lost their house to a fire on February 8, have been in contact with the Rousseau family and say that they will be giving the family any extra donations which they received and are not using.
“We have been in contact to talk about our losses, and it’s like we are part of an exclusive club that nobody wants to be part of. It’s heartbreaking, especially when you go back out there and you see the devastation of what is left. We are lucky that we still have most of our family photographs because we had them backed up on my husband’s laptop,” added Rousseau.
The family has since been staying at the home of their in-laws in Vermilion.
People wanting to donate can contact Danielle at 780-581-5123.