What seemed like just another Wednesday evening at 117 Riverside Drive would end with a London couple left with nothing but the clothes on their backs and an uncertain future.
Shyanne Larocque and her boyfriend Hunter Bressette were enjoying a movie on Netflix in their room cuddled up with their dog, a Chow mix named Bella, when they noticed something was wrong. First it was the smell, then black smoke started pouring through the blanket they used as a door.
“I ran out into the kitchen and the stove and the cupboards and the counter… there was already a lot of fire at that time,” says Larocque with nervous laughter. “First thing I thought of was ‘we have dogs.’”
Bella, Kai and Ogichidaakwe Christmas morning. Photo by Christina Larocque
Two others in fact. Kai and Ogichidaakwe — Bella’s pups — were playing in a back room. As Hunter was sounding the alarm, one of the other tenants came out with her son.
“She came out when I was trying to leash the dogs and turned on the sink and she was like ‘I’ll get water’,” says Larocque. “She put water on a grease fire. So, it made the situation a little bit harder. With my boyfriend and her son’s help, we manage to get the dogs out of the house.”
With all of them outside, and safe, they thought the worst was over.
“Then I realized there were still two people in the basement who had no idea there was even a fire yet because there was no smoke alarms,” says Larocque.
With no sign of them, she acted quickly.
“I ran back into the house and by that time the whole house was just orange. Orange and black. I couldn’t see anything,” says Larocque.
117 Riverside Dr. after the fire. Photo by Mike Lacasse.
She says she rushed down there, banging on their doors and screaming that there was a fire; one of them—a woman—came out and quickly made her way out of the house.
“The older gentleman he didn’t come out yet, so I had to open his door. He was taking a second because he was panicking so I helped him get out and helped him up the stairs a little bit, made sure he got out, made sure everyone got out and by that time the firetrucks got there,” says Larocque.
The rest of the evening was a flurry of activity. Firefighters battling the blaze, the couple trying to figure out what to do with their dogs—a neighbor took care of them while they sorted things out—and being looked after by paramedics.
Active Incident- 117 Riverside Dr. – House Fire. Crews on scene of a house fire with fire and smoke on arrival. Occupants evacuated with no injuries, crews deployed in offensive strategy to extinguish fire. @CityofLdnOnt @lpsmediaoffice @MLPS911 #ldnont pic.twitter.com/0k5XOJDcG2
— London Fire Department (@LdnOntFire) January 27, 2022
Nobody was seriously injured. After being told their vitals were fine, Shyanne and Hunter refused to go to the hospital. They felt they had more pressing matters to deal with.
Like where they were going to stay now that their home—and all their belongings—were now gone.
Friends, family and neighbors have tried their best to help by donating clothes and offering their support. They were also put in touch with the Canadian Red Cross who put them up in a hotel room until Sunday, giving them some time to get everything situated.
Her boyfriend’s father has some land in Kettle Point First Nation where they’ll be staying in a trailer for now with their dog Kai. The move also forced her to leave her job with TLC Landscaping Designs.
She does beadwork and has a hobby shop on Facebook called Shy’s Creations, and hopes she can make some sales to help make ends meet while she looks for other work.
Shyanne Larocque and Ogichidaakwe. Photo provided by Christina Larocque.
As for their pets Bella and Ogichidaakwe?
“We already re-homed one, she found a forever home. The other one that we have, she’s going to her new home today and that leaves us with one more,” says Larocque. “We’re going to work our best to keep him by our side but if we can’t give him the life he deserves, we’re going to have to find him a great home too because they deserve great lives.”
They’re just taking things one day at a time and, despite the tragedy, they’re trying to keep their spirits up and look on the bright side of things.
“We’re going to fix up a trailer out there and hope for the best. I’ve always wanted to do a little bit of trailer living. We’ll get through it,” says Larocque. “All I care about is that everything with a heartbeat got out of there and everybody’s okay.”
Her mother Christina organized a GoFundMe campaign with a $5000 goal to help them get back on their feet and replace what was lost in the fire.
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