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Neighbours rally for victims of Surrey trailer fire

GoFundMe page for Surrey fire victims aims to raise $10,000
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NEWTON — Neighbours have donated nearly $4,000 to two men who lost their trailer in a fire early Wednesday morning.

A total of $3,620 had been donated as of Thursday morning to the couple’s GoFundMe page, which has a goal of $10,000.

According to the donation page, Glenn and Gerald awoke around 2 a.m. to a fire at the back of their home near their greenhouse.

“They only got out with the clothing on their backs,” wrote Shannon Mawhinney Bartel, who started the fundraising campaign.

Firefighters say one person was taken to hospital with minor burns, but the donation page says they were both hurt in the fire.

“They have lost everything they built in the 17 years they resided in their mobile home including damage to their vehicles in the driveway,” wrote Bartel.

“They will need clothing, household goods, bus passes, food, etc. On behalf of myself and the other residents of Crestway Bays Mobile Home Park, we would like to help them out any way we can. So please if you can spare a few dollars to help them out we would all be so appreciative. Thank you for your consideration to this fundraiser.”

Kim McKee wrote on the GoFundMe page that “ they two are very good men and are the type that would give you the shirt off their backs if you needed it, unfortunately they have no shirts on their backs now.”

Donate online at gofundme.com/glenn-geralds-house-fire-fund.

Global News reported that the two men were retired and planning to wed this summer. The couple didn’t have insurance, according to Global News.

A park resident, who declined to give his name, said the couple were “pillars of the community.”

“It’s a real tragedy,” he said.

The resident said he awoke during the night to the trailer fully engulfed, with flames shooting out of the windows and sounds of breaking glass.

He recalled grabbing a hose in an attempt to tame the fire before firefighters arrived.

The fire department told the Now-Leader an investigator was sent to the scene Wednesday.The cause of the fire is not yet known.

amy.reid@ surreynowleader.com

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