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GoFundMe campaign for Grindrod residents who lost home and puppy in fire

Puppy and home lost in fire

Two Grindrod residents lost their home and their puppy in a house fire Sunday night.

At the time of the fire, father and son Larry and Marshall Stark weren’t home.

They got a call from a neighbour that night, who alerted them to the blaze that was taking over their home.

Unfortunately, their young puppy, Sasha, was inside and did not make it out.

A family member created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for them after they lost everything in the fire.

Stepson Colin created the fundraiser.

“Larry is in his 60s now, and after 10 back surgeries he still gets it done, from working on bikes and trucks to painting to whatever weird random tasks I can come up with, he is always doing something,” Colin wrote.

“Although he's in tremendous pain on a daily basis, he still has been a great dad to Marshall and is still working.”

Colin received a text message from a friend the night of the fire informing him of the blaze, and immediately made his way to the Starks' home.

“On the way, I heard my brother was OK as he was at work. As I arrived, I could see smoke and my heart dropped. I ran up on the scene looking for Larry. Although I was sure he wasn't in the trailer, the thought shook me up,” said Colin.

“I saw Larry and just gave him a hug. He was in shock, to say the least. This is when he told me that their young puppy Sasha was in the trailer when it went up and didn't make it out.”

He said a neighbour tried to get Sasha out of the home, but it was engulfed “nearly instantly.”

On the GoFundMe me page, Colin says money became tight for Larry during the pandemic, and the choice between home insurance or food on the table, “wasn’t a choice at all.”

“However, now Larry and Marshall have lost everything. Larry literally lost an entire life of memories and on top of this there will be no insurance cheque to help ease the pain of lost memories, the heartbreak of losing their puppy, not to mention rebuilding a home,” said Colin.

In less than a day, the campaign raised $800 towards a $25,000 goal.



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