A neighbourhood has come together for a family in Cambridge who lost its home in a fire last week.
Red Cross is providing assistance for the family of five currently living in a local hotel.
“That’s really what spoke to me, is what if I lost everything?” said neighbour Brittany Laton. “I’d want some people to come together and help everybody out.”
The group of neighbours who make up the support group didn’t know each other days ago.
The house fire that brought them together left a family of five homeless. They were only able to escape with their pet rabbit and the clothes on their back.
“It’s hard to believe that the house that was there for 10 years, since I’ve been here, is now gone,” said neighbour Christine Yeomans.
The group has started a GoFundMe page, collected donations and is taking turns dropping off to the family at the local hotel.
“I mean, there were some tears,” said Laton. “But I think it’s starting to set in that they’ve lost their house and they’re just happy tears that we’re able to help them out.”
Investigators still don't have an official cause for the fire, but the Ontario Fire Marshall's office says a dryer and an electrical panel have been taken to a lab to be looked at more closely.
The property is now fenced off, but next-door neighbours have been allowed to return home.
The group is still collecting donations for the family.
With the investigation underway, it’s not clear how long the family will be in a hotel for, or whether they will choose to rebuild in the same neighbourhood.
