Rockland family raising awareness after home destroyed by fire

A Rockland family is raising awareness after losing their house in a fire. CTV’s Katelyn Wilson reports.

A Rockland family is starting from scratch after a fire tore through their home less than a week ago, destroying nearly everything inside.

“Our whole livelihood was in there. Now there’s nothing left, and we have to start over,” said homeowner Jason Pilon.

It’s a devastating reality for Pilon and his family who lost fifteen years of memories in a flash.

“My wife went that morning to put coffee on, but she moved the coffee pot from the corner near the fridge to the stove and inadvertently turned on the knob because we have an electric stove with front knobs,” he said.

Pilon says his wife stepped away to take a shower and within 10 minutes, the entire main floor was engulfed in flames. His wife and son made it out safely, but nearly everything was destroyed.

“I might have a bit of something in my bedroom but other than that there’s nothing left, and we have to start from ground zero,” Pilon said.

While the cause remains under investigation, Pilon says he’s sharing his story to raise awareness and to thank the community that’s helping his family put the pieces back together.

“If I can save someone else from this, that’s all I care about right now,” he said. “If you have a front stove knob with elements on it just, please stay around it if you have something on your stove because it’s a small accident like this and that’s all it takes.”

Martin Saumure, deputy fire chief with Clarence-Rockland, says they are not 100 per cent sure what caused the fire but say flames will double in size every minute. Meaning a small spark can turn catastrophic before you know it.

“Mistakes do happen,” said Saumure.

“The extinguisher can be helpful but like we say, fire spreads very quickly and your main focus is to exit the home and make sure everyone’s out safe.”

Amid the devastation, Pilon says community support has been overwhelming, with the family receiving everything from clothing to monetary donations through a GoFundMe.

“My friends who started the campaign, they posted it at 1 p.m. that day and by 5 p.m., they had to turn people away because his garage was already filled with donations from the community and that’s something I’ll never forget,” he said.

For Pilon, it’s about turning loss into awareness while thanking the community that’s helping his family start over.

“For everyone who’s helped so far, I thank you. I thank them completely, wholeheartedly from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

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