Support pours in for Pense family who lost home in fire

A young family who ran from the flames and watched its home burn to the ground in Pense is getting support to get back on its feet.

Wendy Blacke set up a GoFundMe campaign for her sister-in-law, Heather Fuchs, along with her husband, Dustin Zimmerman, and their six-year-old daughter, Aurora.

“I first want to say that Dustin is an absolute hero. He was the one who noticed (the fire) first and got everyone out of the house safely,” Blacke said.

From the story Blacke has been told, she said it must have been a scary experience. Zimmerman couldn’t sleep and was up sometime around 4 a.m., when the fire started.

“He heard some sounds coming from the garage and when he went to open the door, flames came out. He very quickly woke up Heather and Aurora and got them out and into, I believe, a neighbour’s house,” Blacke said.

The family was able to save one of their cats but had to run from the flames with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

“They lost literally everything and they saw their entire life go up before their eyes,” Blacke said.

While the family members are recovering from the shock, Blacke said they’re doing miraculously well in the face of a devastating loss. Even Aurora seemed to be holding up well in a situation that would scare most people, just knowing that her family is OK.

“She’s doing really well,” Blacke said. “She and my son play together a lot and she was actually over a couple of days ago and they were just playing.

“She’s fully aware of what happened but seems to have, for a six-year-old, just an incredible grasp on what’s important.”

After receiving disaster aid from the Red Cross, the family was able to book into a hotel and get basic supplies and a change of clothes. Now the community is stepping up to help them.

Blacke said Aurora’s school has reached out to plan a bake sale to raise money and other neighbours have donated supplies.

“It has been a little overwhelming to be honest. The (number) of people who have reached out online has been more than I think anyone could have hoped,” Blacke said.

“Everyone just wants to come together in a time of need and it’s really incredible.”

The GoFundMe campaign raised about $3,500 over the course of 24 hours. The money will go toward helping the family members replace things that may not be covered by insurance and to supporting them while they find a new place to live.