A West Dawson, Yukon resident who lost his cabin to a fire last month now has a new place to call home thanks to the support of his neighbours, and community.
Ray Gravel said he is still mentally devastated over the loss, but is overwhelmingly grateful for his new cabin which stands a few metres away from where his old cabin was.
One of Gravel’s neighbours, Cud Eastbound, who is also a Dawson City municipal councillor, spearheaded the initiative to help get Gravel back on his feet by starting a GoFundMe campaign that raised just over $33,000 thousand dollars. Along with money, people offered any support they could, he said.
“I think it’s very encouraging to see how wonderful our community is,” Eastbound told CBC News. “Donating back-breaking work, or donating financially to buy supplies. A lot of people that didn’t even know him — they just showed up to lend a hand.”
Gravel declined a recorded interview with CBC News but said his house caught fire only 30 minutes after eating his dinner on the evening of Sept 5. He said he watched his house burn from his driveway.
The exact cause of the fire is still unknown, but officials have said it was probably caused by a leaking propane tank stored inside of the structure.
The aftermath of a house fire in West Dawson, near Dawson City, Yukon. (Chris MacIntyre/CBC )
Eastbound said the new house is just about ready for Gravel to move into ahead of the winter. However, there are still things that would have to be done to make it comfortable.
“[We’ve] got to keep in mind that because we live on the west side, you need to have all your freeze up supplies,” Eastbound said. ” A month or two months worth of food and supplies and water. So I think it will come down to Ray’s decision as to whether or not he wants to spend freeze up over here or wait until freeze up is over and then move in.”
Eastbound said before the fire, he and Gravel would occasionally run into each other along the trail they both use. They would stop and chat briefly before continuing on with their day.
“He’s a friendly neighbour to me,” Eastbound said. “Because of this tragedy and the community coming together, now I feel like I have a new friend. It’s always great when neighbours become friends.”
