Two children are being lauded for their quick thinking after they escaped a house fire and were able to give firefighters an account of the blaze.
Firefighters from all five south Almaguin stations in the mutual aid agreement responded to a structure fire on Highway 518 Tuesday afternoon at 3:26 p.m.
McMurrich/Monteith’s fire chief, Joe Readman, said crews arrived to a “fully involved structure fire,” but were immediately met by two children who had called 911 and were waiting at the end of the driveway.
The fire was extinguished at 10:15 p.m. The cause has yet to be determined, according to Readman, and there were no injuries.
A GoFundMe campaign for the family — Pam St. Pierre, her partner Phil Neilson and their three children — has been set up by St. Pierre’s sister, April Middlebrook.
Another community member, Ashley Holmes, is accepting clothing donations on behalf of the family. She told Almaguin News those looking to help can drop clothing off at her home located at 165 Yonge St. in Burk’s Falls.
“At this time, they don’t have anywhere to store big stuff or anything because they don’t have anywhere to live,” Holmes said, adding she hopes to help secure the family a storage unit.