“We will never be made whole again.”
That is the reality of the Ross family after losing their family-built home to a fire on Nov. 2, according to Katrina Ross.
Although nobody was injured, the home burned to the ground. Everything from clothes and food to photos albums and heirlooms were taken by the flames.
Ross said the homeowner and her mother Barb Ross were left with nothing more than $200 in her bank account.
“My father passed away a few years ago, so all his family heirlooms, everything is gone. There’s nothing left,” Ross said. My mother is obviously devastated, she lost everything she owns.”
However, the family has received support from dozens of well-wishing community members. A GoFundMe page started to help the family during their time of need has raised $2,470 as of Nov. 10 with 25 people donating.
“It’s amazing to see a community come together when there’s a tragedy,” Ross said. “It really shows you a lot about the community you live in. A lot of these people knew how much that house meant to our family.”
The campaign has a $10,000 goal but Ross said the figure was arbitrary.
“I don’t expect to get there, and I don’t think it’s required,” Ross said. “Honestly, it’s been more than we could have ever imagined at this point and its really helped her (Barb Ross) a lot.”
The Athabasca Native Friendship Centre has also decided to pitch in to help Barb Ross with rebuilding her home. The centre has pledged that all of its proceeds in November from its Friday soup and bannock sales will go to the Ross home rebuild.
“She’s a friend of everybody here at the friendship centre,” said the centre’s executive director Laureen Houle, about Barb Ross. “We just want to do what we can to be able to help her.”
The cause of the fire is suspected by RCMP to be arson. Cpl. Chris Warren, an RCMP media relations official, said they charged a male suspect with arson in connection with this fire on Nov. 2. The male’s identity was not released.
Ross declined to comment on the case, although she said the male was a minor with no criminal record who may not have a public court appearance.
She added that her mother did not want to comment for this story but still wanted to thank local emergency services.
“My mom wanted to thank the local fire department for their hard work and law enforcement,” Ross said.
The family is working through the trying situation but Ross it is not necessarily something that can be recovered from.
“I don’t think a person ever comes back from these situations,” Ross said, adding that the situation is a reminder of the need to have fire insurance. “I hope, if nothing else, it makes people realize they need to make sure they have insurance. They need to make sure everything is covered and prepare for the worse.”
