‘We’ve lost everything’ —-family struggling in aftermath of Nelson St fire

A Kingston family of six is struggling to deal with the aftermath of a fire which destroyed the majority of their belongings on Friday night.

Kingston Fire & Rescue and Frontenac Paramedics responded to a report of a house fire on Nelson St on the evening of Friday, January 24. The fire, which started in the furnace room, caused about $100,000 in damage to the home, according to Kingston Fire & Rescue.

Two people were taken to hospital for precautionary measures.

“We managed to save all animals except for two cats,” confirmed Jesslyn Darragh, one of the family members renting the house.

According to Kingston Fire & Rescue, the fire is not considered suspicious, but the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Darragh says that in addition to herself, her 4-year-old son, her mother and mother’s roommate, the house had also recently become a home for her brother and his pregnant girlfriend in the past month.

“Unfortunately due to moving stuff around, most of our stuff (and) all of theirs…are gone. Red Cross has given us a hotel and food for 72 hours but then it’s up to us. Where do I go? I don’t know where to begin to replace this or where to live,” explained Darragh.

For those wishing to make donations to the family, Darragh says the family is comprised of a 48-year-old woman, a 27-year-old woman, a 4-year-old boy, a 30-year-old male, a 27-year-old woman, a 60 year old man, and a soon-to-be-born baby boy. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family for anyone wishing to assist.