St. Catharines, Ont. — A rural Ontario community was left reeling with grief Tuesday after a mother and her seven children perished in a massive overnight inferno that reduced their farmhouse to a blackened, smouldering ruin.(Original article)More than 40 firefighters arrived at the scene in the township of West Lincoln, south of Grimsby, Ont., just before midnight Monday night to find the two-storey home completely engulfed in flames.
My mom called earlier in the evening to find out why I hadn't called. "Called about what?" said I, who had just awaken from a nap. "Call to find out about the fire."
"What fire?" Oh crap, I thought. Something major in Fenwick has burned down. God, I hope it wasn't the library.
"The fire in West Lincoln [technically, my parents live in West Lincoln and not Pelham, but it takes too long to explain]. It was on the CBC."
No, I hadn't heard about it. I went to the Globe and Mail web site and found the article. A tragedy, that's what it is. The mother and seven children - all under the age of 12. My sisters thought it might be a family that went to our church and had gone to the school Mom teaches at, but it wasn't - thankfully.
The recent US elections? A setback and an annoyance. This is tragic.
