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A home and several vehicles in the 200 block of 28th St. were destroyed overnight in a fire that Brandon Police are treating as arson. The owners of the home escaped the fire without any injuries.
A family of four managed to escape a devastating house fire on 28th Street early Wednesday morning.
Sherri Ferguson gets a hug of support after her home and several vehicles in the 200 block of 28th Street were destroyed overnight in a fire that Brandon Police are treating as arson. Ferguson and her husband Bryan and their two children escaped the fire without any injuries. (TIM SMITH/BRANDON SUN)
A home and several vehicles in the 200 block of 28th Street were destroyed overnight in a fire that Brandon Police are treating as arson. The owners of the home escaped the fire without any injuries. (TIM SMITH/BRANDON SUN)
The blaze broke out around 2 a.m., when Sherri and Bryan Ferguson, along with their two daughters Cassie, 20, and Renee, 9, were asleep.
"Something woke my husband … he looked out the window and could see flames," Sherri said. "Thank God Bryan woke up."
The only thing running through Sherri’s mind was getting everyone out safely.
"You get out, and you don’t worry about anything else," she said. "I didn’t even grab my glasses which were by the bed side, I didn’t grab my purse, I didn’t grab anything. We just got us and the kids out, and the two pets."
The family dog, Rolo, and 15-year-old cat Simba survived, but Maddie, the family’s nine-year-old cat perished in the blaze.
When firefighters responded to the fire on the 200-block of 28th Street, the home was fully engulfed in flames. Three neighbouring homes were evacuated as a precaution. Brandon Fire and Emergency Services have declared the home a total loss.
Sherri watched with tears in her eyes as firefighters assessed the home in the daylight. Sherri’s parents built the home in the 1950s, and it was where she grew up.
"It’s very devastating," she said. "You’re helpless, you just have to stand and watch … We just have to look at all the positive things and say, ‘Yeah, we’re all OK and everything else can be replaced.’"
According to police, the fire is believed to have started in the car port. Three vehicles were completely burned out and a fourth was partially burned. The fire quickly spread to the home.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Office of the Fire Commissioner and Brandon police. A police spokesman said arson has not been ruled out.
The Fergusons said a jerry can was found by one of the cars, which suggests the fire may have been deliberately set.
As Sherri Ferguson stood outside the home later Wednesday morning, a steady stream of neighbours came by with hugs and words of support.
"We have wonderful neighbours, and I thank them very much," she said. "Everybody was out here, they were bringing us clothes and stuff for our pets, and blankets. It was unbelievable."
Lynda Robar lives across the street from the Fergusons, and said it was "sickening" to see the family home up in flames.
If suspicions are true that it was started intentionally, Robar said that "makes it even more nauseating."
"It’s totally devastating for the family and everybody in the neighbourhood … It’s so sad," she said.
The Fergusons also have a 23-year-old son who is attending school out of province. They plan to spend time at their cabin at Clear Lake, while the investigation continues.
"We may go (to the lake) for a little respite for now," Sherri said. "And then we’ll go from there, because our little one is still in school."
» jaustin@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition June 14, 2012
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A family of four managed to escape a devastating house fire on 28th Street early Wednesday morning.
The blaze broke out around 2 a.m., when Sherri and Bryan Ferguson, along with their two daughters Cassie, 20, and Renee, 9, were asleep.
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A family of four managed to escape a devastating house fire on 28th Street early Wednesday morning.
The blaze broke out around 2 a.m., when Sherri and Bryan Ferguson, along with their two daughters Cassie, 20, and Renee, 9, were asleep.
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