London, Ont. family struggling after devastating fire

A New Year’s Day blaze destroyed everything Ashley McElmon’s family owned.

“My husband works crazy hard to make sure we have everything we need and like it was just all gone,” says McElmon.

Flames ripped through their townhouse on Toulon Crescent on Saturday morning as they scrambled to safety.

“I yelled fire and started focusing on getting the kids and everybody out of the house,” says McElmon.

Her husband Ken Major says he was in a panic to make sure their 12-year-old daughter and four-year-old twin boys were okay.

“I run back upstairs to make sure there’s nobody up there and then I turn around I got hit in the face with smoke, it happened so quick,” says Major.

The family did not have content insurance and that’s why Ashley’s sister Tiffany Loyer has set up a GoFundMe page to help.

“We kind of need everything,” says McElmon. “We’re pretty much starting from scratch.”

As they work hard at replacing their belongings, an even bigger struggle for the family of five is finding new accommodations. They are looking to rent a three bedroom apartment or townhouse.

“My biggest thing is like to have my family in a home because ours is gone now,” says Major.

The family says the cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but no matter what the outcome, Ashley says they are glad they still have each other.

“We’re going to make it through...it’s just a matter of picking up the pieces and trying to put everything back together.”