A fundraiser has been started for the second family displaced in Friday’s Alameda Drive duplex fire on Chilliwack Mountain.
Holly Burton set up the GoFundMe for her mother Linden Morris Delrio and her partner Marlowe McConaghy the day the fire happened.
“Luckily my mother and her partner Marlowe are both safe and sound, but we are all devastated by the loss of their belongings. They will need to rebuild their life piece by piece over the next many months, starting with what they have now: the clothes on their backs, their wallets, and a single laptop,” Burton wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Their home was one of two destroyed in the blaze. The fire broke out in the Alameda Drive duplex around 1:30 a.m. on July 16.
Two families have been displaced following an early-morning duplex fire on Alameda Drive on July 16, 2021. (Mike Kieneker/ Facebook)
READ MORE: Firefighter injured in early-morning blaze at duplex on Chilliwack Mountain
One of the most “upsetting” losses in the fire was Morris Delrio’s artwork, Burton said.
“My mom has been an artist her whole life. As long as I can remember, she’s had a paintbrush in her hand. One of the great tragedies for us is that the house was full of her paintings and pastels,” Burton said. “We expect that they’re all irretrievably damaged by fire, smoke, water, or all three. A lifetime of work lost in a single night. Heartbreaking.”
The home was their life’s savings, she added.
“We’d be so grateful if anyone could donate to help my family get back on their feet.”
To donate to Morris Delrio and McConaghy, go to gofundme.com/f/help-linden-marlowes-recover-after-a-fire.
Thirty-five firefighters from Chilliwack Halls 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 responded to the early-morning fire in the three-storey building. One firefighter suffered injuries to his head and neck after a ceiling collapsed.
In the other home, where the fire originated, lived a young family and their two-year-old son.
READ MORE: Thousands raised in hours for young Chilliwack family displaced by fire
Cause of the fire is considered accidental and is being investigated by Chilliwack Fire Department fire investigators.
Aftermath of the duplex that caught fire on Alameda Drive in Chilliwack in the early morning hours of Friday, July 16, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
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