While it looks intact from the outside, the house has been deemed unsafe to enter as the fire burned through floor joists.
There is fire and smoke damage throughout, and the fire spread into the attic.
It’s the first home Kyle Chaisson has ever known. His parents purchased it 29 years ago, mere months before he was born.
“It was just a smaller house but they put the foundation on and put a big piece on it,” he said as he watched family and neighbours gather up a few salvageable belongings from the entrance and load them onto his truck.
Kyle and Terri-Lynn Chaisson purchased the house a few years ago and were raising their three children there.
Fire alarms were blaring and the house was full of smoke when Kyle, Terri-Lynn and two of their children, Kylee, 3, and Bryce, 1, arrived home shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday.
They had been away for an hour and had dropped Jaxon, 7, off at Kyle’s parents.
“I could see the flames in the basement,” Kyle said.
He called for the family’s pet cat and then went around to the back of the house.
Seeing the cat in the playroom, he broke a window and rescued their pet
Rob Tremblay, deputy chief of the Miminegash Fire Department, said they called in Alberton Fire Department for backup, ventilated the house and extinguished the flames, using about 7,000 gallons of water. They were on the scene for about four hours.
“It looks like it started in the basement,” Tremblay said.
Maritime Electric was called to disconnect the power to the house. The fire marshal visited on Thursday night to view the damage and was expected back on the scene Friday to continue his investigation.
Chaisson said wiring was suggested to him as a possible cause. He said he doesn’t think the house is repairable.
The loss is insured, and he was expecting a visit from an insurance adjuster on Friday.
At the home with Kyle Friday morning was his mother, Maureen.
“Lot of memories, but memories will always be with us. As long as everyone is out. Everyone’s good. That’s the main thing,” she said.
Kyle said many people have reached out offering support.
“There’s a lot of people bringing things today,” added Maureen. “We needed a playpen for the baby. He had nothing to sleep in. We had that within a half-hour, brand new one. They don’t want it back. I could have had 17 more.”
