‘Everything we own is gone’: Kitchener family displaced after townhouse fire causes $300K in damage

Three people have been displaced from their home following a townhouse fire on Green Valley Drive in Kitchener Saturday.

A Kitchener family is rebuilding their entire life after a fire ripped through their home over the weekend.

Emergency crews were called to 15 Green Valley Drive around noon on Saturday after smoke detectors alerted the family to flames that began in the kitchen of their two-storey unit. They called 911 and managed to escape.

Firefighters from Station 6, located minutes away on Pioneer Drive, arrived quickly with a full response team and contained the fire to the first floor and the front exterior. The Office of the Fire Marshal has been notified, but the blaze is not considered suspicious.

Damage is estimated at $300,000. According to fire officials, there are no structural concerns with the property.

Homeowner Amanda Doric said she was upstairs when she first smelled smoke.

“I thought maybe the kids tried to make a waffle or something and when I came downstairs, I noticed the whole living room was covered in smoke,” she told CTV News during an interview on Monday. “So I got the kids out first, and then I went to investigate; it looked like the oven area was just covered in flames.”

With two cats, a dog and a lizard inside, Doric said her next priority was getting the animals out.

“I got my dog out first. I ran back in to get my first cat, I got her out. At that point, neighbors saw smoke. They came and got the kids and the cat,” she said.

Firefighters arrived shortly after and were able to locate and rescue the lizard and the family’s second cat. Doric, her children and the cat were provided oxygen on-site.

“He’s on some antibiotics,” Doric said, referring to the cat. “He was coughing up blood and obviously quite worked up. He lived through a house fire; he’s only three months old.”

Doric said with everyone safe, the reality of her family’s situation is now setting in.

“This is the only home that our children’s ever known; they’re very confused,” Doric said. “Our oldest is on the spectrum, so this has totally just shocked his routine. Everything we own is gone.”

A GoFundMe has been launched to support the family as they work through the insurance process.

“We talked to someone this morning, but it’s writing itemized lists of everything we lost, and how can you itemize everything?” Doric said.

A bench promoting the online campaign now sits outside what’s left of the home.

“Our pet urns, they’re gone. Our children’s footprints - all the sentimental things things that no money can replace - are all gone,” Doric said.

Despite the losses, Doric said she is grateful for the support of her neighbours, who rushed to help the family.

“The lady across the street brought shoes while we were still in the ambulance because we were in pajamas and barefoot,” she said through tears. “The house didn’t make it, but we did.”