BARRIE, ONT. -- A Clearview Township couple's home will likely have to be rebuilt from the ground up after being ravaged by fire Saturday.
Someone driving by noticed smoke along Hwy 26 near Stayner just before 6 a.m. and called for help.
Homeowner Amber Chevarie was near Port Loring, coming out of an area with poor cell service, when her phone lit up with messages from neighbours and police.
Chevarie, her husband, and their dogs had hit the road early to visit her father-in-law when her husband couldn't sleep. When they found out about the fire, they turned around.
Clearview Fire Chief Roree Payment explained to Chevarie that while her home seemed to be in good shape from the outside, the inside was a different story.
"We obviously underestimated that because I just about lost it when I saw the inside of the house," Chevarie says.
"We've got a hole in the basement through the first floor, right up through the second floor, right up through the back of the roof. I can see right through my house completely."
Chevarie says only items in the garage are salvageable.
Payment said Sunday that the damage was caused by an electrical fire that started in the basement.
Chevarie and her husband have a trailer in Port Loring, but need to stay close to Barrie during the week to run a prescription delivery service.
The couple's two Rottweilers make finding a place to stay more complicated. For now, they're renting a motel room in Waubaushene.
Chevarie can't say how long that setup will be sustainable.
"At this point, my head is still in shock, and I'm still stuck at the point that I'm just so grateful that I have my husband and my two pups, and we're okay, and we weren't home for it.," Chevarie says.
"I haven't been able to process beyond that point as to what we need or what we're going to need or what we need to make it day by day."
Chevarie's mother-in-law has set up a GoFundMe account to help the couple.
