Family, friends mourn 3-year-old boy pulled from Hamilton Mountain house fire
Friends are mourning the death of a 3-year-old boy who was pulled, Monday morning, from a burning home on the Mountain.
As of Tuesday morning an online fundraiser for funeral expenses had raised nearly $1,000.
"Tragedy struck our family," the GoFundMe page states. "Cayden (3) lost his little life on the morning of May 1, 2017."
The boy's mom, Susan, was also sent to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Her aunt, Nancy Adams, drove by the house Monday afternoon and told CBC News that Susan had been released from hospital. The mother and child were the only ones home at the time.
Hamilton police have taken the lead on the investigation into the fatal fire. They have not released any details about the suspected cause.
"It's terrible. You never think it would happen to someone you know," said Adams.
Cassandraa Buckland, the organizer of the GoFundMe said Susan is "an emotional wreck" after the tragedy.
Cayden was Buckland's cousin, but he called her "Auntie Cassie." She said he loved being with his cousins, outdoors.
"He was a very energetic happy little boy," she told CBC News. "So full of life, always smiling and laughing. He loved spending time with his family."
"It's a great loss and no one can understand our heartache," Buckland said. "Our family in time will hopefully learn how to cope with the loss of our little ham."
Another person posted on Facebook a memorial to Cayden, saying he was "still just a little man... the cutest lil devil."
An investigator from the Ontario Fire Marshal's officer arrived shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Monday.
"It's a sad situation," Mostacci said.
He said the department's critical incident response team has been brought in to support the firefighters who were involved in the rescue attempt.
"It's difficult to lose anybody, but especially when there's children involved."
kelly.bennett@cbc.ca
