A family of four is lucky to escape from a devastating house fire that quickly swept through their rental home on Bruce Street on the evening of May 7.
Wilfred Frank lived in the upstairs portion of the triplex with his three children, ages seven, five and three. This is where the fire started.
Recently separated from the children’s mother, Sheila Sam, the couple has already had more than its share of tragedy. According to Sheila, the couple lost an infant son the winter before; he passed peacefully in the arms of his loved ones four hours after he was born. The strain proved too much for the young couple and Sheila moved out to live with her mother, whose home is nearby.
According to Sheila, she received a call Tuesday evening from Wilfred, who told her there was a fire and he was struggling to put it out. When the fire spread to the sofa he told her he had to get the kids out of the house. The two younger children were already down for the night.
Wilfred raced to save his children one-by-one, putting them outside on the front lawn, but toddler Wilfred Jr. was scared and confused and ran back into the house to a back bedroom.
Wilfred went back into the smoke- and fire-filled house to find his son and had barely got out the front door when the glass sliders at the back of the house blew out.
With all his children by his side, Wilfred took them down the street, a safe distance from their burning home when the gas line blew up.
Sheila said it took only five minutes from when she hung up the phone to when she arrived at her children’s home and it was already fully engulfed.
Wilfred Sr. told Sheila that he could feel the heat of the fire burning on his back and he had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Jeffery, the seven year old, suffered singed hair, smoke inhalation and some minor burns on his hand.
The Frank family escaped the fire with only the clothes on their backs; Vanessa in her pajamas, Jeffery in his shorts and the baby in his pants and shirt.
The older two children have moved in with their mother and grandmother, Maxine Sam, who lives on a small disability benefit.
The kids attend Eighth Avenue School but can’t go back to school until they get some clothes. The school has contacted the family and has offered help. They will look for clothing donations and promised to deliver hot lunches to the kids.
The family is looking for boys’ clothes, size 7-8 and size 3 shoes; size 6X or 7 girls’ clothes and size 11 shoes; toddler boy’s size 5-6 clothes, size 6 disposable diapers and size 7-8 shoes.
Donations for the children can be dropped off at 3009 10thAvenue, right next door to Quality Foods. For more information contact Maxine Sam at 778-421-0808.
Wilfred’s mother Mary Mark and her spouse Darryl Dick lived in the downstairs unit of the triplex. Mary wasn’t home at the time of the fire but Darryl was. He escaped unharmed and said he was just so relieved the grandchildren made it out alive.
Mary and Darryl are receiving support from Port Alberni’s Emergency Social Services Fund. The service provides emergency assistance for up to 72 hours for residents facing disaster. Mary says Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation will provide support for an additional two days.
They are grateful for the kindness and support they are receiving from Emergency Services and the Tyee Motel.
“They gave us change and soap and let us do our laundry here,” said Mary.
Mary was allowed to retrieve some personal belongings after the fire was extinguished. She grabbed some clothing and toiletries which needed to be cleaned of smoke and dried.
The couple cannot enter their home until authorities give them the go ahead, so they don’t yet know how much of their belongings can be salvaged and what needs to be replaced. Mary is, however, grateful to have seen that keepsakes from loved ones didn’t burn.
“I went back the next morning. I wasn’t allowed in, but I cried,” Mary said. “I’m just so glad the grandchildren and everyone made it out.”
Richard Charleson, his wife Nikita Gabriel and their 17-month-old son lived in the adjoining unit to the Franks.
They heard their home was going up in smoke through a phone call they received around 6:30pm.
“I was totally freaking out because I wasn’t supposed to go out; I was supposed to stay home,” said Gabriel, who is five weeks pregnant.
When they arrived at the scene she said they couldn’t approach their home because the smoke was too thick and there were police and firemen everywhere.
The couples unit didn’t catch fire but was hit with a lot of smoke and water damage. Because of her pregnancy and the family’s cultural beliefs, they will not be keeping anything from their unit. “We’re going to be stuck with nothing,” said Gabriel.
Gabriel is relying on the kindness and generosity of the community to help her get through the next few weeks.
“We have no clothes for our son, 17-month-old Kai,” said Gabriel.
Kai wears size 24 month clothes, size 5 disposable diapers and size one shoes.
Gabriel said she wears ladies size medium pants and size large tops.
Richard wears men’s size 36 pants and size XL shirts.
The family has lived in Port Alberni less than six weeks and will have to start from scratch. They too will need a house full of furniture, linens and kitchen ware and a place to live.
None of the families had renters insurance.
