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Father, daughter left homeless after fire destroys Vancouver Island home

23 firefighters called out to battle blaze, fund set up for pair who lost everything
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A fire destroyed a home in Deep Bay and left a father and daughter homeless. (Hugh Todd gofundme photo)

A father and his daughter have been left homeless after fire destroyed their home in Deep Bay on Sept. 15.

According to Deep Bay Volunteer Fire Department, the fire was reported at approximately 3 p.m., and upon arriving at the scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames

“We fought the fire for about an hour and we called in Fanny Bay Fire Department to assist us for manpower to give our guys a break,” said fire chief George Lenz. “We’re not exactly sure of the cause yet. We’re still investigating. But the father and the daughter now don’t have a home because it’s a writeoff. There was no chance of saving the house when we got there.”

Lenz said the father was working outside in front of the house when he heard an explosion.

“He went to explore it and saw the house was on fire,” said Lenz. “There was no other person inside the house. Just one person who was outside. I don’t think they had any pets.”

Based on what he had seen, Lenz believed the fire started in the carport at the house.

“It spread very quickly into the dry grass into the greenhouse and it was also encroaching into the fence as well into the neighbour’s property,” said Lenz, who had 23 firefighters out battling the blaze.

The Oceanside Emergency Support Services was called to provide John and Amanda Todd short-term assistance. There is a gofundme account organized by John’s son Hugh, to help them get back on their feet.

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Hugh said that the house has been his father’s home for 27 years and it’s also where he and his sister Amanda grew up. They both lost all their possessions.

“In the end most of what was lost is just stuff which isn’t important,” said Hugh in his gofundme account. “But because of this fire, they’ve both become homeless. I’m setting up this gofundme to help get them back on their feet. To get clothes on their backs and some living essentials. But mainly to help with finding some housing arrangements and cleaning up the wreckage.”

Anyone wishing to help and donate can go the gofundme page at https://gofund.me/6d7de0d2

— NEWS Staff

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Michael Briones

About the Author: Michael Briones

I rejoined the PQB News team in April 2017 from the Comox Valley Echo, having previously covered sports for The NEWS in 1997.
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