Cape Breton seniors who lost long-time home in fire overwhelmed by community support
A Cape Breton couple is counting their blessings after making it out of their long-time home that was destroyed by fire on Monday.
On Tuesday, Russell and Marie Mauger were in their neighbour's kitchen surrounded by family and friends.
Less than 24 hours earlier, they had narrowly escaped their burning home.
"I never got much sleep last night because when I closed my eyes, I would see my house. But we're all out, we're safe. That's good enough. I'm thankful," said Marie.
The couple had lived in the home on Tower Road for 40 years. When it burned to the ground Monday morning, mementoes from 64 years of marriage were lost within minutes.
"Pictures of the kids, my parents, his [Russell's] parents, my grandparents' pictures. All gone," said Marie, who added that all their wedding photos were also lost.
A GoFundMe page has been started to help the couple. As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, it had already raised more than $4,400.
"They knew we were left with nothing but what we had on our backs," said Russell.
Already, Russell has a new pair of glasses and says a pair of reading glasses are on the way for his wife after a local optometrist saw their story and wanted to help.
Some other basic essentials have also been donated.
"Food and clothing, jackets and pants," said Russell. "Neighbours come, you know, [with] boxes of clothes. Mostly clothes."
"Everything is gone," said Marie. "But we're alive. That's it. They could have had a double funeral."
The Maugers say they're not normally comfortable accepting help from people. However, in this case, they didn't have much of a choice.
"Oh, God almighty, [I] can't thank them enough," said Russell.
The couple's home used to be where the family would gather for a big holiday get together. Now, they'll have to start a new tradition this year.
Still, Russell and Marie are counting their blessings and have a message for those who have lent a hand so far.
"I wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Anybody that gave us anything or helped us, you know, Merry Christmas to everybody," said Russell.
The couple says they do have insurance, which will help ease some of the financial burden.
There's still no official word on the cause of the fire.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
NEW 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire': A crowd pleaser that turns it up to 11
Hot on the heels of last year's 'Godzilla Minus One' comes 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' the first ever Academy Award winner in the giant reptile's decades-long film career.