‘We just took a deep breath’: Saskatoon family processing loss of their home just days before Christmas

A family of seven lost their house to a fire while away at church. Now they’re facing the holidays without a home. Carla Shynkaruk reports.

A family of seven is picking up the pieces after a house fire destroyed their home east of Saskatoon. Now they’re trying to get through one day at a time, as the clock ticks down to Christmas.

Rebecca Genik recounts the moment she heard.

“We were on our way home roughly 12:00 p.m., and we were on Circle Drive, and a very kind neighbour phoned us, and she said, ‘Your house is on fire.’ I said, ‘Pardon?’”

Rebecca and her husband Lane Genik are still trying to process what’s left of the dream home they just moved into in October.

That devastating news of the fire came as they were driving home from church with their five kids on Dec. 14.

“We thought we lived quite close to the city, but it felt like a long ride home. We watched it all the way home and we could see the flames a couple grid roads back,” Rebecca recalled.

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They arrived at their acreage just east of Saskatoon and watched what was once their family home burn to the ground.

“The kids definitely had a hard time driving up, but we had a quick, little team meeting. We just took a deep breath together and we said, ‘You know what? We’re a team. We’ve never done this before either, so we can do this together,’” she said.

“We sat in one of our friends’ vehicles together, and we just took a big breath, and we’re like, ‘OK, what do we need to do right now’?” Lane Genik told CTV News.

With five kids between two and ten years old and in school and activities, the reality set in that life had to go on. So the family has remained positive and thankful they were all together and safe.

“We need to make sure that we’re all fed. We need to make sure we have clothes for the rest of the day. We need stuff for kids, for school the next day, Monday, and the kids have skating Monday night,” Lane explained.

Getting some of those supplies for activities like skates and essentials came thanks to the generosity of friends, family, and strangers. A GoFundMe page was also set up by friends in New Zealand who heard the news.

“So many people have been so generous and contributing to that and every little bit helps. It’s been unbelievable and then our kids’ school, they’ve been putting gifts together and packages together,” he said

The family is currently staying at the children’s grandparent’s house, trying to create some sort of normal.

Well wishes like a card signed by 500 students at the kids’ school and a delivery to replace lost Christmas gifts, help the Geniks get through and stay positive.

“People pitched in, and they came over one night with an unbelievable amount of toys for the kids,” according to Rebecca.

According to the family, the fire is said to have been caused by a faulty gas fireplace.