Windsor teens fundraising to help their dad after devastating house fire
Tyler Sims said he only felt adrenaline in his body as he watched his house burn down.
"I just knew I had to do something," said Sims, 18.
Tyler's home of four years burned down on Tuesday morning, leaving him and his family with nothing.
He said he was about to leave their Francois Court home for the gym with his 15-year-old brother when he turned back to grab a pair of shorts. That's when he noticed the fire in his brother Zach's, 16, room.
"I rushed downstairs, and grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. But it sadly did not work," he told CBC Windsor.
"I grabbed pots of water when I realized the fire extinguisher didn't work, and I was tossing pots of water at it, but it was too late to fire already climbed up the wall, and the whole house was engulfed in smoke."
After seeing the extent of the fire, he made the decision to just get his brother out of the house.
The fire left the family with nothing except the clothes on their backs.
Windsor Fire and Rescue Services said in a tweet Tuesday afternoon the cause of the fire was electrical failure and estimated the damages at $250,000.
The tweet also reported four people were displaced, but Tyler said only three people lived in the house. Him, his father and his brother Zach.
They do have a younger brother who was visiting at the time of the fire, but he lives with his mother.
'We're all safe and all together'
Tyler said one of their "biggest losses" was their camping and snowboarding gear, as it was the family's favourite activities.
"Money and items can be re-bought but the memories you make with things — you can't get those back," he said.
Zach also lost his insulin and other medical supplies, which he needs to deal with his diabetes, but was quickly able to get a new supply.
The two brothers are in Grades 12 and 11, so another relevant loss was all of their school work, supplies and books.
Tyler said his family have been lifting each other up since the fire, which is the reason why they have kept hopeful.
"We all know, at the end of the story, that we're all safe and all together," added Zach.
As a gift to their dad, Tyler and Zach started a GoFundMe, turning to the community to "get back on out feet."
"He lost everything too," Zach said of his father.
"He's been working really hard," he added. "So we were just going to help them out this time and hopefully raise enough money to get essentials and everything."
