A young Penticton family of five lost their home to a fire that gutted their rental unit on Monday.
Will Mathison said his father’s ashes were also lost in the blaze.
“My father’s ashes were in the bedroom so I lost my father’s ashes as well,” he said during an interview on Tuesday.
Now the family is searching for a new roof over their heads.
“Penticton has a service to help people who have fires, we have a place for the next three days, after that we have no place to stay, nothing,” Mathison said.
Penticton Fire and Rescue believe the fire broke out on the exterior side of the home in the 1400-block of Government Street around 3:00 p.m.
Officials said the fire engulfed a gas meter and that fuelled the flames.
Crews were also challenged by strong winds and biting cold.
Penticton Deputy Fire Chief David Spalding said it’s unlikely many items can be salvaged.
“It’s completely destroyed inside on the first floor… at this point it’s looking like it’s probably a complete loss,” he said.
Mathison and his partner Tanya Mercier said they do not have tenant insurance.
Community efforts are underway to help with their expenses.
Even strangers are dropping off donations.
“I just hope that somebody would do that for me,” said a Summerland woman dropping off two bags of clothes on Tuesday.
The couple said they want to express their gratitude for the outpouring of community support.
“People we don’t even know, clothes and toys for the kids, that’s just so wonderful, they were napping when it started so we just grapped them wearing diapers and T-shirts,” Mercier said.
“Thank you Penticton for being such a great place to live, I love you, Penticton,” added Mathison.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.