A Port Coquitlam family whose home was destroyed by fire Tuesday night was celebrating a birthday party when the blaze broke out.
Roma McPherson, the mother of Kristie Dana, whose son turned 12 on Tuesday, said the family was cooking French fries at around 8:30 p.m. when the oil on the stove caught fire.
She initially thought that they would be able to extinguish the blaze, but the flames soon spread out of control and McPherson, Dana, her husband Ron Dana and their three children had to evacuate the home.
"It went so fast," she said. "It was just incredible."
The family had rented the home, which was located at St. Thomas Street and Lincoln Avenue, for more than a year. Phones, laptops with photographs, car keys, camera equipment and other electronics were lost in the fire and McPherson said the residents do not have insurance.
"It's all gone," she said. "Just a lifetime of stuff. They were just fixing up the two youngest kids' bedroom."
McPherson is currently trying to setup a bank account where donations can be made to support the family. She said has been in discussion with Westminster Savings and will be posting the branch and account numbers on a Facebook page.
According to Port Coquitlam Fire Department Cpt. Jim Carter, three trucks and 12 firefighters responded to the "relatively large structure fire".
"As we arrived, the second floor was fully involved," he told CTV News. "There were flames coming out of the second-floor windows."
The fire did not cause any damage to neighbouring houses.
More to come...
