Ramona Toth takes a peek inside her home and lets out a sigh.
“It’s all gone. It’s all black,” the Coquitlam resident says.
Wooden boards now cover the windows to her rented Panorama Drive house and, at the back, wet insulation pads lay on the ground and on the trampoline.
She bursts into tears when she recounts what happened on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 2, when she and her three young boys were out at a local gym.
At around 4 p.m., she checked her phone and found “a million text messages” from emergency responders and friends alerting her to a fire at her residence.
A neighbour to the back had called 911 after seeing flames.
“I didn’t know which message to look at first,” she said.
Toth returned the call to police — only to find out the worst possible news: Not only was her home and daycare in the basement ruined, but her two dogs and the four dogs she was looking after for a friend weren’t able to be rescued after the blaze broke out.
The gym personnel heard Toth scream and drove her home.
“I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I was in such shock.”
Investigators told her the fire may have ignited because of an exposed wire on a lamp cord, which may have been chewed by one of the dogs, but it’s unclear
Coquitlam RCMP said the fire remains under investigation.
“I had so many plans in my life,” she says, surveying the damage.
Toth said the families of the eight youngsters in her daycare, Green Star Childcare, near Bramblewood Elementary, are now scrambling to find space elsewhere.
Fraser Health has told her she can keep her daycare license for 12 months without children while she picks up the pieces and restarts her life and business.
In the meantime, Toth and her boys are staying at the home of her former spouse while she sorts out insurance details and finds temporary work to pay the bills.
“I don’t want to give up my life. It’s been so good,” she said.
On Wednesday, Jan. 3, Toth’s friend, Kimberley Hansen, and others set up a GoFundMe campaign to rally the community to help Toth with her fresh set of expenses.
As of noon today, Jan. 5, they had raised more than $12,700 out of the $20,000 goal.
“She’s an incredible person,” Hansen said.
“She started a trail run group that now has more than 2,000 members. She’s always there to help whenever someone needs it: clothes, toys, you name it. It’s time to give back and help her through this tough time.”
If you wish to make a contribution, you can visit the GoFundMe page.
Toth is also in need of a large home to rent — big enough to include a daycare, with an outdoor playground — as well as clothes for herself and her three growing boys: ages seven, nine and 10. Electronics for her children are also appreciated. To help, email [email protected].
