
Family in remote northern Ont. reeling after daughter killed in fire, home destroyed
CTV
A family in the remote community of Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
A family in the remote community of Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
Ten people lived in the Wabano family home. JC, the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, was killed in the fire. The family is now temporarily living in the band office.
Peawanuck is an isolated Cree community in the Kenora District, about 35 kilometres from the Winisk River's end in Hudson Bay. Its population is less than 300 people.
Retired OPP sergeant Randy Cota and his wife Betty Crawford have set up a GoFundMe page in hopes of helping the family find a new place to live
“Beautiful people,” Cota said of the family, who are suffering on many levels following the tragedy.
He said in a community where everyone knows everyone else, the fire sent a “ripple effect that goes all the way down the coastline.”
“We'd really like to see them get (help.) They're living at the band office right now, with no privacy,” he said.