A Merlin-area couple's wedding plans for the fall are on hold after the farmhouse they were renting was reduced to rubble.
Amber Valade and George Nussey were planning to get married in October.
"The plan was October 1st, but we'll see now," says Valade.
The couple's six children are currently staying with family members after their home burned down Sunday. Fire officials believe a battery caught fire while it was charging, sparking a blaze that completely destroyed the building.
The batteries were charging for some RC cars and some airplanes that Nussey was getting ready for a competition this coming weekend.
Valade says fortunately, her fiance was the only person home at the time.
"The fire alarm went off and he came into the kitchen and he could already see it," says Valade. "He grabbed the cat and the lab and ran outside and threw them in the garage... when he turned around the flames were already coming out of all the windows on the front of the house."
Nussey was able to run back in for one more trip to grab the family's guinea pig out of the dining room, but Valade says by the time he got out, the flames were already up to the roof.
Firefighters were able to arrive shortly after he made that call, but Valade says there wasn't much they could do because by the time they showed up, the roof was already starting to cave in.
(Photo courtesy of Catherine Alicia via GoFundMe.com)
Valade says fire officials described the situation as a "perfect storm" because the building isn't well insulated and all the windows were open. To complicate matters even more, Valade says there aren't any fire hydrants close to the home.
"The firefighters had to run down to Merlin and fill the truck and then come back," says Valade. "They would spray for about five minutes and then be gone for about 20 minutes to get more water and then come back, but there was no putting it out."
By the time Valade got home from Sarnia, where she was picking up her kids and visiting a friend, the only thing left was a doorframe and the corner of a wall. Valade says because the damage was so extensive, fire officials ended up bringing in a backhoe to spread the charred remains around rather than try to save any more of the building.
"George was saying to people who were calling when we were there, 'This is a five bedroom, two-storey farmhouse and I'm standing here and nothing is taller than my waist,'" says Valade. "It's done. Everything is completely gone."
Valade says their renter's insurance is expected to cover some of their losses, but that could take months to sort out. And even then, there will be some things that the family lost that they simply can't buy.
"It has kind of melted my heart how my kids aren't upset about Xboxes or iPads or things like that, they're upset about the blanket I made them when they were a baby and the thing that reminds them of their dog," says Valade. "Stuff can be replaced, but those sentimental things are what mean the most at the end of the day."
While the family is waiting to receive money from their insurance company, they're getting a lot of support from family, friends, and the Red Cross.
"Last night we were sitting here and we just couldn't stop the tears from streaming down our face looking at everything that everyone is doing," says Valade. "It's really humbling."
Valade says for now, she is staying at her parents' house in Ridgetown. She says they have turned down offers to stay at a hotel because they have three dogs, a cat, and a guinea pig to take care of.
There's a GoFundMe account set up for the family here. Clothing and toys can also be dropped off at Homegrown Health on Queen St. in Chatham and at St. Paul's Congregational Church on Park Ave. W. in Chatham.
The children have the following clothing sizes:
- 11 years old, size 14 girls
- Nine years old, size 10 boys
- Eight years old, size 10 boys
- Six years old, size 6 boys
- Six years old, size 6 girls
- Three years old, size 4-5 boys
George Nussey and Amber Valade. (Photo courtesy of Catherine Alicia via GoFundMe.com)