(gofundme)

By Nigel Maxwell

Tragic events

Fire destroys Bellevue family’s home

Apr 12, 2021 | 2:27 PM

Within a span of two days, nearly $10,000 has been raised to assist a family from St. Isidore-de-Bellevue, who lost their home and all their belongings in a fire Saturday night.

Shortly after 6 p.m., the St. Louis Fire Department was dispatched to the hamlet and determined upon arrival, less than 10 minutes later, the house was already a total loss. The investigation revealed while the fire started in the garage, the flames jumped to the neighbouring house. Firefighters, who remained on scene for eight hours, were able to prevent the fire from moving to neighbouring houses.

Members from the Wakaw RCMP, Birch Hills Fire Department and Wakaw/Hoodoo Fire Department also provided assistance.

According to a gofundme, created by a family member, Logan and Danielle Gaudet lived at the home, along with their three children (ages one to six) and two dogs. Danielle is also seven months pregnant and was at a loss for words when speaking with paNOW Monday afternoon.

“We’ve had community members, every couple hours dropping things off. It’s overwhelming,” she said. “It’s so generous that we are just speechless.”

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In addition to the support from local businesses and community members, Gaudet said they’ve also received a lot of support from the Red Cross as well as Metis Nation Saskatchewan – Western Region 2.

Reflecting back on Saturday night, Gaudet explained her husband had gone to the garage and was met by a wall of smoke when he opened the door. He immediately screamed to his wife to call 911, and together they grabbed the kids and pets, and got outside.

“We just ran to the back of the fence and he had to rip down our little gate so we could get out the back,” Gaudet said.

According to a statement on the gofundme page, donations of all sorts of goods are needed including food, clothes, diapers, toys, pet food, and “everything a young family might need.”

A photo taken of some donations sent from Saskatoon. (Submitted photo/ Travis Wourms)

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. St. Isidore-de-Bellevue is located roughly 50 km south of Prince Albert, and is overseen by the Rural Municipality (RM) of St. Louis. Reeve Emile Boutin told paNOW he was not surprised by the enormous outpouring of support.

“That’s what small communities do and we are very close,” he said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell