ESTEVAN — An Estevan family is doing okay and grateful for the support it received from the community after a fire early on May 14 destroyed their trailer in the Willow Park Greens Home Park.
In an interview with 蘑菇视频短视频, Taylor Cote said he was awakened at 2:19 a.m. that day by the fire alarm in the trailer he shared with his sisters, Jasmine and Savannah Crouse. He opened his bedroom door and smoke was up to his chest. He looked to the left and saw the living room and front entrance area on fire.
"I instantly went to my right, kicked in my sister's [Jasmine's] door, woke my sister up as loud as I could, opened up her window, got her out the window as fast as I could, and I turned around to go back to try to get our animals that we had in the house," said Cote.
Savannah Crouse wasn't home the night of the fire.
When he started getting dizzy and lightheaded, he realized he had to get out of the structure, so he jumped out of the window. He then called 911 and reported the fire. Then they waited for emergency crews to show up.
"Everything happened really fast," he said. "As soon as I saw the smoke and the fire, I needed to get out of the house. I needed to get everyone to safety, and as soon as I got everyone to safety, that's when everything set in on what happened."
Emergency crews responded quickly after he called in the fire, he said.
Cote and Jasmine Crouse were taken to hospital and released. Reports from the Estevan Police Service and the Estevan Fire Rescue Service said there weren't any serious injuries in the fire.
The siblings lost most of their possessions in the fire. Cote said he escaped wearing just a pair of underwear and a T-shirt, and Crouse fled wrapped in a blanket. Their possessions inside were destroyed, and their three animals – cats named Hershey and Raymond, and a bearded dragon lizard named Jeb – died in the fire.
Two vehicles sustained cosmetic damage, but Cote said they will be salvageable.
Cote and the Crouses have been staying with their parents since the fire. He said they all sat down and talked about how they can rebuild and get on their feet again. Jasmine Crouse is doing the best she can, and Cote said she likely took the fire the hardest.
The community has stepped forward with their support. A , created by Kelsie Frijouf, had raised $3,015 of its $10,000 goal as of the morning of May 16.
"Please, if you are able, donate whatever you can, even if it’s just $1, and share this link for more people to see," Frijouf wrote in the campaign discription.
Meanwhile, Jared Christensen started a quick drop account fundraiser at the Estevan SARCAN depot, in which people can donate the refunds from their empty cans and bottles to the siblings. The account is under Crouse/Cote House.
"If you can't drop off I will gladly come pick them up from you," he said on Facebook. "May long [weekend] is right around the corner. Have some drinks and let's raise some funds."
Cote said the support has been "very overwhelming" for his family, and he didn't expect there would be so many generous people. They have received a lot of clothing, dishes, cooking and cleaning supplies, and other daily essentials, and they are "very grateful" for everything.
"We don't know how to accept a lot of this stuff, but we've been accepting of it," said Cote. "We really appreciate it."
