‘Nothing left’: Fire destroys home and vintage car garage in Pense

The blackened ruins of a house collapsed into the pit of a basement while next door a garage full of classic cars was reduced to twisted metal after a devastating fire in Pense.

By 9 a.m. on Friday, father and daughter John and Macy Wilson were in shock watching equipment dig through the twisted ruins of the classic cars they worked together to restore.

“I’ve got nothing left. I’m wiped right out. Everything I had was in that building and it’s gone,” John said, noting his loss probably amounts to more than $1 million.

The Wilsons survey the charred ruins of the family’s vintage car garage destroyed by a fire in Pense on March 6, 2020. (Adriana Christianson/980 CJME)

While some people might just see a building in ruins, to John and his daughter, it represented a lifetime of hard work and savings poured into their dream cars.

They also had some collectibles and Second World War memorabilia from a grandfather stored in the living space and office.

“Everything is gone. It’s all burnt. Not a thing left … Every single thing I own is gone,” John said.

The Wilsons weren’t the only family devastated by the fire. Another property was completely destroyed, with that homeowner lucky to get out alive.

He declined to be interviewed  but he was the one who called 911 when the blaze began in his home. By the time Pense volunteer firefighters arrived on scene around 4:45 a.m., the flames were already above the roof of his home.

Despite the combined efforts of several fire departments called in from neighbouring communities including Rouleau, Avonlea and Grand Coulee, the flames spread after the wind picked up.

Wilson is frustrated he wasn’t told about the fire next door because he feels he could have got the most valuable vintage vehicles out of his garage in time. By the time he got word the fire had spread and he had driven to the garage, it was too late.

“I was going to go in the building myself and get the stuff and drive it out (but) they wouldn’t let me in there. They pulled me back and dragged me back,” Wilson said. “I could barely walk and I was going to go in there and get it.”

A firefighter did save Wilson’s personal truck, but Wilson couldn’t help but lament the loss of his custom-built classic Dodge Challenger.

“The first car I restored at 12 went up in flames; all of my cars went up in flames,” Macy added, recalling the memory of how her dad surprised her with a classic car that she saved up for before she could even

drive.

A fire destroyed a house and a garage filled with classic cars in Pense on March 6, 2020. (Adriana Christianson/980 CJME)

As Macy and John walked around the smouldering remains of their Outlaw auto shop, they felt the pinch particularly badly because the insurance had lapsed.

John had surgery this year and, on a fixed income, he said he couldn’t afford to pay the insurance premiums. So now the Wilsons won’t even be able to rebuild or replace anything.

While many of the vehicles had sentimental value to her growing up, Macy said she feels worse for her dad.

“You’ve got a man who worked his whole life for something. I know this happens to people all the time, but then it’s just gone, just like that,” Macy said.

At 21, Macy has her whole career as an auto mechanic ahead of her, but nothing can replace what her dad built.