Community rallies for family

Within hours of a roaring fire claiming another residence in Kahnawake, community members have raised thousands of dollars, organized raffles, and planned gatherings to come to the aid of the locals who lost their home.

“I still cannot believe our childhood house burned down, my family is in such disbelief,” said Leroy Deer.

His mother, Linda Deer, and 16-year-old nephew, John Deer, were in the residence when the fire started, and were both taken to hospital after the fire.

John spent the night at the Montreal Children’s Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and has since been discharged, while Linda remains hospitalized with burns, though her condition is stable, and there seems to be no damage to her muscles or nerves.

“We had just renovated not too long ago, so that my mother and her grandchildren could have a better home,” Leroy said.

An especially devastating loss in the fire is Linda’s precious dog, Dazzle. Linda’s daughter, Jamie Deer, said that her mother had run back inside the burning building in an attempt to save the dog, but unfortunately Dazzle’s body was later found under Linda’s bed.

“I was really hopeful, I was calling her name, that’s like her baby,” Jamie said, adding that it was important to her to find Dazzle’s body and give her a proper burial.

Megan Day, Linda’s niece, said it’s not known exactly how the fire started, but that it may have started in the kitchen.

“I saw some photos, the fridge completely melted the freezer door off, it’s wild,” she said.

Day’s mother, Allison McGregor, has made her home the central hub for collecting donations for the fire, and Day is collecting e-transfers at [email protected] and giving it to the family for any immediate expenses.

Long-term, the family will need all household items lost to the fire, including a fridge, stove, beds, and a washer and dryer, but right now, the focus is on clothing for Linda and John.

Linda will be needing size small shorts, shirts, underwear, and pyjamas, as well as socks and size six shoes. John needs size 32/medium pants or jogging pants, as well as size large/tall shirts, size small boxers, size large hoodies and sweaters, and pyjamas.

Donations of toiletries are also being accepted, including things like deodorant, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, shampoo, and body wash.

The first call about the fire at the residence, located in the Sesame Street area, came at 11:15 pm on Tuesday night. In just three minutes, the first Kahnawake Fire Brigade (KFB) officer arrived on the scene, and immediately informed the rest of the team that it was a structure fire that required all hands on deck.

Junior Deer received a call from a cousin telling him that his mother’s house was on fire. He had been at the residence just a few hours prior.

“It was a video call, and I could just see the house in flames,” he said. “I immediately stopped what I was doing and called up my sister. I had just been there and then all of a sudden it was up in flames.”

When Junior’s sister Jamie arrived, the blaze was huge. Jamie said that initially, she was upset to see so many people on the street shocked at the blaze, because she didn’t know if her mother and nephew were alive or not.

“I was walking but then I saw the flames and the lights, and I just ran. When I saw everyone I felt overwhelmed, like, ‘Why is everyone just standing there, where’s my mom?’” Jamie said.

The fire was immense - a total of 23 responders rushed to the scene, including 16 firefighters with three vehicles, and seven paramedics with two ambulances.

At 12:40 a.m., nearly an hour-and-a-half after the first call for help was made, the fire was finally brought under control.

“There’s what we call offensive and defensive strategies, and this was very much a defensive strategy,” said KFB interim fire chief Wihse Stacey, who explained that firefighters doused the fire in large quantities of water from all angles. “It’s what we call a ‘surround and drown,’ which we do until the fire is brought under control and it’s sufficient for us to put firefighters into the building.”

The incident comes just a few short months after Kahnawake rallied behind the Angus family, who lost their home in the village area to a devastating house fire. Just as it was back then, the community has been finding all sorts of ways to support the family affected.

Here at The Eastern Door, a GoFundMe was started to raise money that will go directly to Linda. One anonymous donor even donated $5,000 within just a couple of hours of the fundraiser’s launch, and at the time of writing, the campaign has raised $9,395 from 39 donations.

“It’s been remarkable and uplifting to see people from the community and outside come together to support someone after such a huge loss,” said Onawa Krystal Jacobs, The Eastern Door’s director of operations. Jamie said that as she’s processed what happened, she’s realized that it wasn’t people’s intention to gawk that night - she said she’s been extremely moved by how many people have reached out to her and her family, and blown away by the support.

“It’s just really overwhelming and nice that the whole town is pulling through and helping us, I never expected it,” Jamie said. “It made me cry. It’s a good feeling, and I want to send my appreciation and gratitude to the fire department, the ambulance, everybody.”

Today (Friday, May 30), the 207 Longhouse will also be hosting a cake walk fundraiser for the family. The initiative, which starts at 7 p.m., is being organized by the Longhouse’s Singing Society, who will auction off cakes that have been donated in between songs during a social.

“Helping the ones in need inside the community is a responsibility that the Singing Society holds, and with this recent tragedy, it reminded us of this,” said Ronikonhrakatste Phillips, a member of the Singing Society. “We are asking the community to come out and support them.”

Village Variety, where Linda works, has also leapt into action, organizing two Stanley Cup Seconds half-and-half boards to raise funds. Tickets are $50 each and can be published at Village Variety in person, with $2,000 going to Linda and $1,000 to the winner. The first board was already filled up by Thursday morning, with a second having some spots remaining at the time of publishing.

Down at the Moose Lodge, a silent auction and benefit dance is being held for the family on Saturday, June 21. The silent auction starts at 5 p.m. at the Moose and the dance at 9 p.m., with tickets to the dance costing $5. The half-and-half organized by Village Variety will also be being sold during the auction and dance, and the winner will be drawn on the night.

“I’ve known Linda and her family for most of my life,” said Mary-Kate Downes, bar manager at the Moose Lodge. “When we heard about the fire completely destroying her home, it was really a no-brainer.”

She said it’s Kahnawake’s style to help people in times of crisis.

“Many other people and establishments are helping as well with different fundraisers and donations, it’s beautiful to see,” Downes said. “It’s a great feeling knowing how amazing our little community is, and we can come together when it matters most.”

Linda’s children have told her about the fundraising efforts, and say she’s overwhelmed with emotion knowing that the community cares.

“There are no words that I can say to thank everyone in our community for all the support and generosity they have given,” said Leroy. “It all happened so fast, and the community didn’t hesitate to help, and for that, I will be forever grateful.”

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