What would be the worst possible nightmare for most happened to a family of six in Memramcook.
Pascal Ruest was at Centennial Park on Saturday and received a shocking call from a relative, who told him their house was on fire.
“My brother-in-law and I both had our vehicles in the Atlantic Nationals for the first year, and we were pretty excited to show off our little toys. We were walking around, and I think it’s around 1:30 in the afternoon, I got the phone call.”
He thought it was a joke at first, but they confirmed that it was not.
The residence is on Centrale Street in Memramcook and is also home to his wife Jessica’s pet grooming service.
“Luckily for us, I was at the car show and my wife and the kids were at the pool near the Centennial Park on St. George Street,” Ruest added.
Their three pets were home. Their little dog was in the entryway where the fire was, but managed to get out safely. Their two cats were in the basement in their usual hiding spots, and luckily, they weren’t hurt either.
Damage to the home is extensive. The fire was in the entranceway, and the damage extended to the wall of the kitchen inside. Ruest says it’s going to take a lot of time and work to get those areas rebuilt.
He emphasizes that the important thing is that their family and three pets are all safe.
“We also got lucky in our bad luck, the clothes and everything were spared, so we were able to retrieve some stuff,” Ruest says.
Ruest adds that he is grateful for his neighbours and the fire department, who were all very supportive and quick to help during and after the fire. Ruest is also a volunteer firefighter with Memramcook Fire.
His wife’s sister has created a GoFundMe page in the hopes of helping the family while they are dealing with insurance and repairing the damage to their home. As of Monday morning, over $5100 has already been raised.
