Photo: Linda Dechamp

A family home in Hedley went up in flames Sunday morning in a suspected case of arson.

"Within an hour it was gone." 

A resident of the tiny community of Hedley, B.C. had her world pulled out from under her this weekend when her family lost their house and everything they owned to a sudden fire she believes was arson. 

Shannon Gauvin was asleep in the early hours of Sunday morning when around 3:30 a.m. her puppy, in bed with her, started acting restless. 

"She kept staring out my window," Gauvin said. "I told her to go back to sleep but she wouldn't." 

The family had a motorhome parked in the yard, left by a previous tenant, right outside Gauvin's bedroom. 

"I heard the motorhome door swing open and hit the side of the motorhome and I knew there was nobody in there so I got up to look," she explained. 

What she says she saw was someone running from the home, believed to be a woman, heading to a truck, then the motorhome burst into flames. 

Gauvin immediately ran through the house waking everyone up — her elderly father and his wife, her five-year-old niece who she has custody of and a friend having a sleepover.

In the chaos, Gauvin accidentally pocket-dialled her daughter Savannah Fitch, who lives out of town and was shaken awake to the panic. 

"It was like 4 in the morning, and it was my mom screaming and crying and freaking out and everyone going nuts because they are trying to get out of the house," Fitch said. 

The adults tried to stop the flames, while Gauvin shuttled the children, multiple kittens, dogs and cats out into the car and as far away as possible. 

Sadly, there was nothing to be done about the fire. The 100-plus year old home was mostly wood and the flames from the trailer made the jump easily. 

"I got back and Dad was sitting there watching," Gauvin said. "It took the house probably about an hour to burn down, we lost everything. I walked out with the dress on my back, my dad got his robe and his wallet, my stepmother got her purse, my niece lost everything but her pyjamas."

The house was uninsured, though not for lack of trying according to Gauvin's daughter Savannah Fitch, who said her grandfather had tried over recent years to get coverage but had been told the house was too old and the community fire department too small. 

Gauvin's father Joe had owned the house outright and lived there for 25 years. 

"I worry about my dad the most, he has a brain injury, diabetes and heart disease, and he has lost everything he has ever had in his 70 years. It's a little hard for him to start new." 

He is on disability, Gauvin has a broken vertebrae in her back that makes working difficult and they have a five-year-old to take care of, so getting back on their feet feels like a momentous task. 

The community of Hedley and surrounding areas has stepped in to help, Gauvin says, leaving her eternally grateful. A local family has allowed them to stay with them and "made their home our home" and others in the community have stepped up with donations and offers of help. 

Fitch started a GoFundMe to hopefully find even more, and give her grandfather back his life. 

"The money will go toward trying to rebuild the house. Cleanup is going to cost a lot of money because they have to clear the lot," Fitch said. "And then I'm hoping to rebuild [my grandfather's] house ... Even if we get construction companies that want to help, stores that want to donate, all of those things are extremely helpful right now."

Gauvin echoed the sentiment. 

"We need all the help we can get right now unfortunately," she said. 

As for the suspected arsonist, Gauvin said she has informed RCMP of her suspicions and believes they are actively working on the case though has not received a recent update. Castanet has reached out to RCMP for more information and will update when it is available. 

Photo: Contributed

The blaze that destroyed a Hedley family home Sunday morning.