A Keremeos, B.C., couple lost everything in a mobile home fire last week. The fire broke out around 4:00 a.m. last Sunday near the garage before spreading to the home.
Michelle and Robert Rupert were asleep at the time and only woke up to their neighbours banging on the front door.
“I ran down the hallway into the living room to see if I get my wallet and stuff. The black and brown smoke was just so thick I could hardly breath,” said Robert Rupert.
“I bumped my guitar, I just grabbed that, and I turned, and the fire was coming through the walls, I grabbed my guitar and ran like hell. That’s it, the rest is history.”
The pair believe they are lucky to be alive and give credit to the quick action of their neighbours for waking them up and alerting them to the fire.
Robert Rupert, though, sustained some burns on his arm while trying to escape.
“You can always rebuild,” said Robert Rupert.
“We wouldn’t be able to do that if we weren’t standing here. So, I thank these two right here, our neighbours that got us out.”
Fire crews arrived on scene shortly after, but according to Michelle Rupert, the home was completely engulfed.
The couple lost everything including their four-year-old dog Duke and cat, two vehicles, tent trailer and boat. Robert Rupert also lost a full music room complete with a large collection of vinyl records.
“It was like within five to 10 minutes, everything was gone, and we’ve been here for 15 years, our entire life was in there. My mother’s ashes, my grandmother’s ring, my husband’s father’s ashes. Many woodcarvings,” said Michelle Rupert.
“Somewhere in that pile is my dog Duke and my cat. He was affectionately known around town as the baby moose because he was (a) 160-pound dog; he was a big boy.”
This marks the fourth mobile home fire in the area since December. An investigation is underway into how this fire started but at this time the cause is unknown.
For now, the couple is staying at a friend’s place but are concerned about getting another vehicle and finding a more permanent place to live.
“We will have nothing to live in after three weeks because that is when the Mexican workers come in to work the vineyards,” said Michelle Rupert.
The couple says they are grateful for the community support so far. Their neighbour has set up a GoFundMe campaign for the pair and donation jars have been placed throughout town.
Donation jars can be found at the Cawston Marketplace, Steels Bistro, Boboys Pizza Place, Sportsman Corner/ Canco gas station in Keremeos and at Skaha Cannabis in Penticton.
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