A fundraising campaign has been launched to assist a Salt Spring family whose home and belongings on Upper Ganges Road suffered extensive damage from a fire on Saturday afternoon.
Warren Nuyens, Salt Spring Fire Rescue’s commanding officer at the scene, said the cause was under investigation but is not considered to be suspicious. Around a dozen firefighters were on site for about two hours.
Iris Beck, a former islander now living in Kamloops, said the house belonged to her brother Matt Beck, his wife Lorena and their two children.
Matt Beck was being treated at Lady Minto Hospital after the fire and was to be transferred to Victoria General Hospital due to ongoing health issues as of Wednesday. He and Lorena are looking to use or rent an RV or motorhome as a temporary housing option on their property while the rebuild takes place. Anyone who may have a unit available should contact Iris Beck at i.beck@hotmail.com.
An online fundraising campaign can be found at GoFundMe under “House Fire Assistance for the Beck Family.”
For more on this story, see the Aug. 12, 2020 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.