For Mark and Kristina McLenaghan, the fire in their Jones Drive home in north Barrie could have been far worse without the quick response of local emergency services.
On the morning of January 13, a fire started in the furnace room in the basement of the McLenaghan home and quickly spread. Kristina was home at the time. Emergency services arrived within minutes.
“Our city services were amazing,” Kristina said. “They got there fast, and the fire department, paramedics, everyone went above and beyond. I’m thankful for that.”
Kristina was in her upstairs office when the smoke alarm went off, and the house filled with smoke. She rushed to rescue her pets. No one was injured. One dog, a snake, and one cat were saved, but sadly, three other pet cats did not survive.
The fire damaged the basement and parts of the main and second floors. Kristina’s son Dylan and a renter, who live in the house, were not home when it started. She said the house, their home for nearly 15 years, is central to her and Mark’s family.
“It isn’t just four walls – we built our family in that house,” she said. “We got married in
that house. So many gatherings and memories there.”
A GoFundMe page was launched just days after the fire to help Mark, Kristina, and their family, with a goal of raising $10,000. Mark expressed gratitude for the community’s support as they navigate the challenges.
“We definitely feel the love and support of the community,” he said. “I think the first step in going forward is just working through everything as they come. We have choices to make but we’ll be together so that’s the most important thing.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Although Mark and Kristina recently consulted with contractors about the damage, Kristina shared that the journey to reclaiming her home has been a difficult one.
“We’ve saved a few trinkets here and there – mostly everything is gone,” she said.
You can visit the GoFundMe page to support Mark and Kristina’s family here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mcleaghan-and-santos-relief-campaign.
