After losing everything in a trailer fire in Surrey Wednesday morning, two men are grateful to be alive and for have caring and generous neighbours.
Smoke could be seen billowing out of Gerald Kameka and Glenn Conley’s trailer at Crestway Bays Mobile Home Park just after 2 a.m.
The two men have lived in the trailer for 17 years. They had just retired and were planning on getting married this August.
They did not have insurance. The two men lost everything and returned to their burned-out home Wednesday morning to survey the damage, still wearing their hospital gowns.
“I ran to go into the back of the house and turned the water on, to see if we can do something and there was a greenhouse back there and it all collapsed on me,” said resident Glen Conley.
“So I’m burnt.”
But Wednesday afternoon, neighbours stepped forward to tell the couple they will buy them an empty mobile home in the park.
“We don’t have to leave the park and all these wonderful people,” a tearful Conley said after hearing the news.
The couple also lost their 17-year-old cat in the fire. Its body was found in the charred bedroom.
Conley said his partner Gerald is a cancer survivor and they have been dealing with many medical issues recently but were looking forward to getting married.
“We’re getting married in Saskatchewan then coming back here and having a small party with our closest friends,” said Conley. “We don’t have that many. That was going to be the highlight of the year, at least I thought it was.”
There was concern the fire would spread to other units and several homes were evacuated as a precaution.
Luckily, crews were able to contain the fire to just the one trailer. Glen and Gerald think the fire started on the patio before spreading inside.
“The crews were initially doing a defensive attack as trailers are close together in here,” said Surrey Fire Service battalion chief Richard Ellis. “Crews did a good job protecting them and there was no damage to them.”
According to RCMP Corp. Scotty Schumann, the fire was not arson.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started for the men.
WATCH: A devastating loss for a Surrey couple. Their trailer home went up in flames, destroying everything they owned. As Jordan Armstrong reports – the couple was recently retired and just months away from getting married.
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