Community support for a Kakabeka Falls family who suffered an “unimaginable” loss when their house burned to the ground on the weekend continues to pour in.
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, a Gofundme campaign set up for the Gunsinger family had topped over $21,000.
In a post on the Gofundme website, Gary and Hayley Gunsinger said “we will be forever grateful for the village of neighbours, friends, family, and even strangers who came together during the most devastating time of our lives.”
The family, which includes three young boys, managed to escape when the fire broke out on Sunday afternoon on a village street behind Kakabeka Falls’ school.
“The main house is completely gone,” said Lynn Gunsinger, a family relative. “I don’t know what their plans are.” The family had insurance, she added.
Oliver Paipoonge and Conmee fire departments, along with a Ministry of Natural Resources firefighting crew, responded to the blaze, which was declared out on Sunday night.
A private company working on the nearby Kakabeka Falls power station upgrade provided heavy equipment to help prevent the blaze from spreading, locals said.
A cause of the fire has yet to be determined and remains under investigation. The Ontario Fire Marshal office said it was made aware of the fire, but is not sending an investigator to the scene.
Lynn Gunsinger said the family, who have been sleeping in a trailer, are still coming to grips with the loss. It was hard for the boys to watch their home burn down she said.
“They lost all their toys.”
