A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to help a Gabriola Island woman get back on her feet following a fire that destroyed her home.
The fire happened in the early morning of May 30 and was one of two fires, deemed suspicious, that destroyed the home of Sandra Hill, a life-long Gabriola resident, and a camper van that belonged to a neighbour several properties away.
No injuries resulted from the fires, but according to the GoFundMe page, it was the sound of embers hitting Hill’s window that awoke her and she was able to escape with only the pyjamas she was wearing and her purse.
Sandy Eustis, who organized the GoFundMe, described Hill on the fundraiser page as a pillar in the community always there to lend a hand and “give positive and encouraging thoughts and prayers.
“Sandra, or ‘Mrs. Hill’ as some affectionately call her, and the Ross/Hill family have been a part of Gabriola for over 64 years,” Eustis said on the GoFundMe page. “This was a home that Sandra herself grew up in and where she ended up raising her own family. I know many people would consider it their second home as well as I did too, growing up.”
Gabriola RCMP are continuing to investigate the fires. Anyone with information about the fires is asked to call the Gabriola RCMP detachment non-emergency line at 250-247-8333 and refer to file #2021-312.
As of Monday, June 7, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $14,000 of it $20,000 goal. Funds raised will help pay for expenses not covered by insurance.
To learn more or to make a donation, visit https://bit.ly/3fWZ8uj.
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