Local family raising money to rebuild home destroyed by fire

A local family is looking to raise money after the first floor of their house was destroyed in a fire, which may cost them up to $200,000 to rebuild. (Peter Zietsoff)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local family is looking to raise money after the first floor of their house was destroyed in a fire on June 21st.

Peter Zietsoff was sitting in his backyard with his wife and grandson after returning home from a trip to Vancouver when a neighbour ran up to them, saying their house was on fire.

When crews arrived on scene, they saw a large amount of smoke and flames along the exterior and into the roof of the home, according to the Fort St. John Fire Department.

The aftermath of the fire. (Peter Zietsoff)

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“The whole main floor is already gutted to the studs,” Zietsoff said.

“So you gotta do rafters, flooring, drywall, like everything on the whole main floor. They gave us a quote last week to redo it all, which was just under $200,000.”

The amount quoted is just to rebuild the house, not the items destroyed in the blaze.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. (Peter Zietsoff)

The couple did not have insurance due to financial issues, so they will be responsible for covering all the costs to rebuild the home.

Zietsoff has been unable to work since August 26th, 2022, due to an ankle sprain that has gotten progressively worse over the years, adding to the financial strain.

A GoFundMe was set up to assist the family while they try to rebuild their home, and e-transfers can also be sent to pzietsoff@hotmail.com.