Carl Wilson said his first thought was for his mother when he came home to find a fire had started.
Their two-floor townhouse at 264 MacIver Blvd. was severely damaged Aug. 26 after a malfunctioning air conditioner went up in flames. Local firefighters put out the fire, but the 29-year-old Wilson said smoke damage meant all of their possessions inside the house were ruined.
Thankfully, Wilson said, his mother, Ellen Amematektor, was unharmed, but he felt the impact of having his home burn.
“I ended up in the forest. Which, I don’t know what happened, I guess because of all the shock,” Wilson said. “I have all my music equipment there (in the house). My Mac was in there, my memories.”
The construction worker is seeking $5,000 in a GoFundMe to help his family recover, which has raised $375 as of Sept. 20.
Wilson said his family immigrated from Ghana in 2016. Growing up there developed his passion for music, something that continues to this day. He said he makes rap music and does music production, something he dreams of doing professionally as a sound engineer.
But that suffered a setback when all that equipment burned, with no fire insurance to cover their possessions.
“The one thing was the time. I spent a lot of time doing all the songs, for it to just go ablaze,” he said. “But it doesn't really matter. It’s just materialistic. I can do it again. But we are just grateful we weren’t sleeping or something before it happened. Otherwise, I don’t know what the situation might be."
But besides the approximately $30,000 in damages the fire caused, Wilson said it also meant many momentos they had from Africa are ruined.
“That breaks my heart the most,” he said. “(My mother) had so much culture there. Everything is gone.”
Wilson said the family did not get any details about why the air conditioner malfunctioned, but a smoke alarm warned his mother, who got out of the home on time. York Region Housing has put them up in another apartment that they are staying in now.
He said he did not want to do a GoFundMe at first, but his friends convinced him it is OK to reach out for help. He added that he is grateful for the support the family has received.
“It’s good having family and friends around you that care. My friends have been around us a lot."
Wilson said the family would use the money to help purchase things like furniture for their new home.
Despite the newfound hardship, he said his mother helped a lot.
“I’m just really grateful we have our lives. I fell into a dark place when all this happened and my mom has been a rock. She’s reminding me that my life is more precious than anything in the house,” he said. “We’re taking it day by day. We’ll get there.”
The family’s GoFundMe is available here.
