A Yellowknife family is seeking the public’s help to rebuild after a housefire took everything from them.
Early on Tuesday morning, Marina and Scott Dyke, their two children, and two dogs, were forced out of their home when a suspected propane explosion started a fire that eventually engulfed their entire home. The parents were woken up by the sound of an explosion, and quickly rushed everyone out of the house. The city was experiencing an extreme cold warning at the time, with temperatures and windchills down to around -50. The only members of the family who were not immediately accounted for were two cats. It was feared that they were claimed by the fire, though they were later found safe.
Dwayne Simmons, Marina’s brother, explained that the family had a wood stove going at the start of the fire, and hypothesizes that a propane leak caused the gas to build up underneath the home. Fortunately, the bedrooms where the family slept were initially spared from the flames, giving the family enough time to get out before they too were claimed.
Marina escaped the fire in bare feet, and suffered mild frostbite, but otherwise, the family was unharmed. Neighbours reported hearing a loud blast, though at no point did the fire spread to any nearby homes.
Fire crews were on the scene for about three hours. At this time, the Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for themselves after this disaster. It initially had a goal of $10,000. That goal has been met and surpassed at the time of writing, sitting now at just under $30,000.
The GoFundMe page can be found by clicking here.
