Barrie students lose everything in destructive fire as neighbours rally to help
Six international Georgian College students and one family lost their homes and everything inside them when a fire broke out on Wednesday morning, but their neighbours were quick to lend a helping hand.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Marianne Cowan said she ran outside her Tunbridge Road home on Wednesday in the early morning hours and saw flames down the street.
"[I] ran outside in the pouring rain with my daughter," she said.
Home surveillance video captured the moments the panicked students ran into the street as raging flames and thick, black smoke filled the sky.
The fire appeared to start in the garage and quickly spread, engulfing the home and adjacent house within minutes.
"Everything burned - their cell phones, their passports, their suitcases, everything," Cowan said. "I gave them water, cake, popsicles, and opened my house for nine hours."
Nearby restaurant owner Abbasi Kothari also assisted the displaced and stunned students, offering them burgers, water and other good from his Mumbai Central restaurant.
"They were so happy," he said. "You could see the ease on their faces. They could feel calm that they've got somebody who they can rely on."
"We should all help everybody, no matter where they're from," Cowan added. "If I was in their country and that happened to me, I'd want some help too."
Neighbours told CTV News that the family in the adjacent home had found temporary housing with a relative.
The six students received 72-hour accommodations from the Canadian Red Cross, with Friday night being their last at a local hotel. Georgian College will then provide them with temporary housing on student residence.
The Ontario Fire Marshal and local authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's 'most wanted terrorist' arrested on gun charges in Canada
One of India's most wanted terrorists has been arrested and charged in connection with a recent alleged shooting in Ontario.
Donald Trump picks Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor.
Dave Coulier, 'Full House' star, has cancer
Dave Coulier, an actor and comedian who found fame as Uncle Joey on "Full House," has revealed he has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer.
The Canadian border is an 'extreme vulnerability,' says Trump's pick; Miller predicts 'tough' talks
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he agrees with the incoming American border czar that there will be 'tough conversations' ahead.
What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do
Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
Oldest stone tablet inscribed with Bible's Ten Commandments to be sold at auction
The oldest known tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament is expected to fetch up to US$2 million when it goes up for auction next month.
Overwhelmed families surrendering custody of their children to CAS
Overwhelmed families in Ontario are having to surrender their children to the Children's Aid Society, and according to the society, the residential crisis is part of the problem.
Guns and drugs seized from organized crime group linked to Mexican cartel, RCMP say
Members of the RCMP’s federal police say they have arrested three men in B.C. for their alleged role in a “transnational organized crime group” connected to Mexican drug cartels plotting to import cocaine into Canada.