Standing quietly on the singed and soaked grass, Jake Reynolds looks at the charred bones of his family’s home.
The smell of smoke still lingers in the air as he walks toward the building.
Passing through the doorway he calls, “Watch your step.”
He turns to the right and walks down the blackened hallway to the basement.
“I was here in my room. My windows were open at the time of the fire. So, when I started smelling smoke. I ran up the stairs to the kitchen,” he said shaking his head.
The fire Jake is referencing occurred Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m. He was home with his parents, Tim and Lynn, younger sister Meaghan, 16, and two of her friends.
The house has been rented to the Reynolds family for about three years by property owner, Sinclair Walker.
“As soon as I got to the kitchen I went out to our deck and saw the flames swallowing up the patio. It looked like it was coming from the hot tub.”
Thinking quickly, Jake went to the second landing of the deck and tried to move the family’s propane barbecue away from the blaze.
“I quickly realized there wasn’t anything I could do. So, I yelled to mom who was sleeping in the master to call 911. Then I yelled to get the girls out of the house.”
Lynn added, “I didn’t even know what I was calling 911 about. I just dialed the number. It all happened within 30 seconds. If it had been nighttime, we never would have made it out.”
The family escaped the building without injury. But Jake and Lynn went back in to get the family’s beloved, three-year-old dog, Zoe.
“I also made it out with my wallet, laptop and phone,” said Jake.
He says they were able to save the family’s truck and car.
“We also had some possessions in our garage that were untouched. But it’s really been a total loss.”
Now, days later, the family is starting the healing process.
“We’ve been doing alright. It sort of comes in waves. It’s like a roller coaster. It’s been very hard on my mom. People have been so generous and offering so much support, but it’s all very overwhelming,” said Jake.
Currently, the Reynolds clan is staying at a family friend’s farm house in Indian River.
Since the fire, they’ve been itemizing the possessions they’ve lost.
“For the most part they’re material things. But it’s been hard to see it all on paper – everything that’s been lost. My grandfather’s ashes were actually in an urn in the house, but one of the firefighters were able to get it out for us.”
On Wednesday, the family returned to the home to see if there was anything that could be salvaged.
“I didn’t really want to go through the house. It looks like something out of a horror movie. It doesn’t seem real. But it seems to be an important step in getting closure. There’s a lot of anxiety about going back inside. It’s so scary to think about and to look at.”
“It’s going to be hard to go back into my room. I had some possessions in there that belonged a close friend that recently passed away.”
He added, “It’s going to be an important step for my sister to get some closure. It’s been hard on her.”
Jake says family, friends and strangers have been donating clothes and food as well as donating to a GoFundMe started by a family member in Nova Scotia.
“All we can do is say thank you. It’s been beyond what we could have ever imagined. Even my clients from my work have been reaching out to send us well wishes. When something like this happens, you learn quickly how supportive everyone is.
“For now, we have all of the essentials. We’re looking at another place, one that we have a lead on that we are hoping to have for the winter.”
Walker says he’s glad everyone was able to get out of the house safely.
“It’s just a house. But it could have had a worse ending. It’s upsetting to see the house gone and I’m sad for the tenants because they lost a lot of personal items. But it will be rebuilt.”
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
To donate to the GoFundMe page started in support of the Reynolds family go to https://www.gofundme.com/jsjd6-house-fire-relief-for-the-reynolds.
@JPMillicentMcK
@millicentleemckay
