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* Christmas E. fire destroys _ o _ _ d _Colborne [ rras:": f j p | d k [oLboxzue Ome f . e 00 ~ P : ~g (hawicle f cst [E m 3y : â€"> wese ) A y ‘ ig a) . flo 3By Masioy Matust : ko . e f:] CcHRoNIctE@uNKD.NET pugf : > ] l ;{&- | _ Fire completely destroyed the Colborne home Tom & â€"_â€"â€" °6 _ cH . se AU Klinaftakis and his six children Christmas Eve. But | e =.l,’5 1e i o '\‘\:.. « s F ;'{ Christmas came to the family through an outpouring â€" spel | | _ | h 4 . mss & TV Aaales) of community support. sc -â€"";’ff ): Cl . & F o Shortly before 7 p.m. Christmas Eve, Brenda and | s _4 s e s )..T John Dhaene were sitting down for a celebratory dinâ€" ner at Brenda‘s parents just up the road from 17 Percy es es areme @ Street. Looking out the window, they saw flames lickâ€" Proto ay Cuaupe Berancea 108 the night sky. The twoâ€"storey Klinaftakis home Asove, OHristmas Eve Buaze: Brighton and Cramahe Fire Department‘s battled a blaze Was engulfed in fire. es which destroyed a twoâ€"storey wooden home at 17 Percy Street, Colborne on Christmas Tom Klinaftakis and his six children, aged from Eve. one to 13 years, were not at home when the blaze ; : began. They were in Oshawa. i C Meanwhile, motorists travelling the main traffic OMMUNII ’ STEPS ’N TO SAVE artery into Colborne from Highway 401 had alerted & ._ the Cramahe Fire Department. Both Brighton and A FAM’LY’S CHRISTMAS Cramahe Fire Departments fought the blaze for 3.5 hours before it was brought under control at 11:30 ues ons Mss p.m. Volunteer fire fighters remained on the scene o »o lt wetiaith â€") , 20 50000 s Faaueant h / ) until 2 a.m. Christmas morning to ensure the blaze Nt "1 s ‘{‘“"‘;;"“‘_} aneper n o w__l:;,_ did not reignite. f Te i. _ e P ie se "’F‘Jfi Es senes | ea Ee _ "Thank heaven there wasn‘t a wind," Don Prentice o s â€" is o n e S o Emmaiarea P Pss 1 says. "It would have spread the blaze to neighbouring * o 2 oo Aaiareninse nT it frB | 2 «x Kiwfid houses." j h3 * .i f 9000000 ! . C .( 2 __wopmvnnscan ca« |___ Even while the blaze was being fought, the commuâ€" . SA â€" U se 4 * omm OE e e se BA nity was rallying to ensure the family‘s safety, secuâ€" pifou ahe ~ Co m ol gase L eic e l t â€" £ mesee@es rity â€" and Christmas Day gifts. A : im> â€" CE _R ~ \ Ay "Even as the fire was burning, people were arrivâ€" f7 y howal +; Câ€": CE ing at out house dropping off presents already $ â€" Aimmaie] wrapped. Children, hearing about the fire, were takâ€" d â€" t : . * U ing their own presents from under Christmas trees to ‘ EZ trmeee emainy s _ teaa l give to the Klinaftakis kids," John Dhaene says. "Can 2 besfnseres ie _ || you imagine that?" a > B #] _ _| _ As it was, the brick residence at 15 Percy Street NC . $ T A ____| has charred windows on the north side facing the & i *ed [ y / / §\ O ____| charred shell at 17 Percy Street. At 19 Percy Street, C AV f/ ho _.«~~ | the south wall siding has been burned. m .. Eoo ‘ f i\ / 3 s "The heat was overwhelming," Mr. Dhaene recalls. 2 es o Spaglhb ) (. / 6 M 000 ; . ? j The Dhaene‘s live directly a cross Percy Street from & 18 s ~/~ / BP .~; f =,|\ / | the Klinaftakis honic: s z ol ‘f}- es . '\"é 52‘« | _ The family‘s pets â€" two dogs, a bird and a goldfish â€" §( * ~memmmznt / / _| all perished in the fire. . << _\‘, Â¥ s s 1 fraâ€" "Claude (Belanger) and I went in to try and get the esP m :if;,\ c s j || _ _| two dogs out," neighbour John Dhaene. " I was able AC ME w : ies n qR ) _| to get one dog down the stairs and then the smoke e e o ____ overwhelmed me. Claude brought the one dog the rest Proto ey Manov Maanw . of the way out, but it was already dead." ' .| $1,100 Correctep: Monday morning, Tom Klinaftakis, centre, father of six and owner of the A second dog buried itself under clothing in a home destroyed Christmas Eve, was presented with $1,100 collected at Mr. Convenience downstairs room and would not leave the premises. in Colborne. Terry Lee, business owner, , and employee. Kelli Griffis, right, counted the __ Word of fire spread quickly through the village and donations store patrons have contributed since the Christmas Eve fire in Colborne. environs. See story on page 8 continued on page 2 Eâ€"h‘â€"-fl_‘-â€"â€"/_’v Cipieo cfbipencconpemine mm oo ooo omm Fire dest continued from page 1 "It was just 10 minutes before the start of our Christmas Eve service (at 8:30 p.m.) ," John * Rutherford of < the Old .St. Andrew‘s Presbyterian congregaâ€" â€" tion says. "We received word from _ Don Prentice. We announced the fire and asked for donations. Do you know, over §