Two families displaced after Larchwood Cres fire
Two Kingston families have been displaced after a fire destroyed two semi-detached homes on Larchwood Cres on Sunday morning.
Kingston Fire & Rescue responded to a report of a structure fire in the 800 block of Larchwood Cres at around 10:14 a.m. on Sunday, May 30, 2021. On arrival, fire crews found one of the homes with fire and heavy black smoke emanating from its roof, with the fire quickly expanding to an adjoining home.
In total, half a dozen fire and rescue vehicles responded to the scene, and remained there for much of Sunday while they battled the blaze and subsequently investigated the scene. One person was transported to hospital for precautionary measures but has since been released.
While there were no serious injuries, the homes were completely destroyed and the occupants lost most of their belongings in the fire.
Neighbours, friends and family have begun the process of helping the displaced families by gathering clothes and setting up fund-raising pages.
“Doug and Luke have lost their home to a house fire,” said Andrea Mooney in a GoFundMe page set up for one of the affected families. “Everything is gone. We are just looking to the community, our friends and families to support them through this difficult time.”
Mooney said that anyone wishing to provide non-monetary donations, such as clothing, can reach out to her via Facebook Messenger. “Doug will need men’s clothing size XL/L shirts (long), pants/shorts size 36, shoes/sandals size 11; Luke is a size 5/6 for shirts, pants/shorts, shoe size 11 (little kid). Luke is quite concerned about his toys – he loves Batman, Star Wars, Lego, Avengers,” Mooney continued.
Another GoFundMe page has been set up for the second displaced occupant. “I am fundraising for a close friend that has lost her house to a fire,” said Katie Johnson in her plea for assistance. “Romana is an amazing women (sic) who always put others first. She has the biggest heart and volunteers her time to help save cats in our local community with the Spay Neuter Kingston Initiative. Romana needs our help now during this painful time. Please help Romana and donate.”
Kingston Fire & Rescue Fire say their investigation has now concluded. In a statement, they estimated the fire damage at a cost of $700,000.00. The cause remains undetermined.
Note to readers: this article has been updated. The statement from Kingston Fire & Rescue has been modified from its original version.