The fire that ripped through his parent's home 10 days ago destroyed wood, bricks and mortar, but only rekindled the community spirit that makes Bonnyville such a great place to call home, said Robbie Cole.
An electrical fire in the early morning hours of Nov. 6 destroyed much of the house he called home growing up with his five siblings, in the home of his parents Bill and Anne-Marie Cole.
Not only did Bill Cole lose his home, but he also ran his successful business out of the huge garage, which was also destroyed by the blaze.
Since the devastating fire, the amount of community support has been overwhelming, said Robbie, who along with best friends Kevin Sartain and Corey Shideler, have organized a big fundraising dance Saturday evening at the Beaver River Fish and Game Club.
“The amount of support me and my parents have received since the fire has just been incredible,” he said. “We had people in there hours after the fire looking to find family pictures and whatever they could find to try and at least preserve some memories for the family.
“It has been an amazing experience to see just how much help we've received since this happened.”
His parents, who have been together for just over 30 years, have been too busy trying to clean up the mess from the fire, but are also overwhelmed at the amount of community support shown by so many, said Robbie.
Sartain and Shideler were on the scene within minutes after hearing about the fire and have displayed what true friendship is all about, not only helping him and his family recover from the devastation, but also helping organize Saturday's fundraiser, he said.
Sartain said that's what friends are for.
“I got a call about the fire just minutes after it started and I went to the house,” he said. “There was nothing we could do because the house was pretty much gone by then. It's tough to watch, but we wanted to do anything we could to help.”
Local firefighters did an amazing job bringing the fire under control and once given the all-clear, a large group of friends had gathered and were looking inside the house to try and save what they could, Robbie said.
“One of the firefighters managed to save one of our dogs,” he said. “We also managed to find a couple of boxes with a lot of family photos, my mom's wedding ring and other personal items and that meant a lot because those are the things you can't replace.”
Another good buddy, Kyle Cooper, managed to find the family cat, named Kaos, hours after the fire had been extinguished, which was another blessing because most members of his family believed the cat had perished in the fire, he said.
All three family pets (two dogs and a cat) survived the blaze, he said.
Dozens of family friends and local business owners were on the scene helping clean up the mess in the days after the fire, Robbie said.
“We had equipment out here within hours,” he said. “It just kept coming. He had loaders and trucks, vans donated to help us store stuff, a light tower was brought in so we could keep cleaning up after dark. We've had an endless amount of food delivered. It has been incredible.”
His youngest brother Douglas, 17, might have suffered the most as he lost “all of his toys”, including a new ATV, dirt bike and snowmobile that he had worked to hard to save money for the past three years, said Robbie.
Family friends have set up a fund to help the family at the Bonnyville Royal Bank location. Anyone wishing to help can make a donation to the fund set up in the name of Bill and Anne-Marie Cole.
Saturday's fundraiser will include a silent auction, dance and live entertainment, with two or three live bands expected to perform, said Robbie.
Doors open at 5 p.m. and the fun will continue until closing time at 2 a.m., said Robbie. The event is free, and everyone is welcome.
Robbie, Sartain and Shideler are expecting a huge turnout and tremendous support.
“We all grew up in this town and we know a lot of people and so do my parents,” said Robbie. “Between our friends, my parent's friends, all of the people my dad knows in the oil and gas industry, all my mother's friends and the people she knows at church and all of the friends my brother's have, we're expecting a really nice crowd.
“Between myself, Kevin and Corey, we're going to kick some butt and get a lot of people out there, so it should be a really good time.”
Bill Cole, who was busy cleaning up the mess from the fire on Friday, could only say “thanks” to all the people who have helped him and his family since the fire.
He said he's really looking forward to Saturday's event and saying thanks to everyone who has helped his family during this very difficult time.
