DALTON — After a fire tore through his home, killing three pets and upending daily life, Kevin Wallace and his family must navigate a previously unimaginable scenario.
It happened early Monday evening, when Wallace and his family were at his father’s wake.
It was at that service honoring his the life of the late James J. Wallace that a member of the tight-knit Dalton community approached Kevin Wallace, and told him his family home was on fire.
They rushed back to 177 High St. Firefighters from multiple departments had already extinguished the worst of the flames, but fire still roiled the home that was built in the 1890s, and updated by the family over the years since they purchased it in 1999.
Just like that, the family was thrust into uncertainty.
Wallace, his wife Julie and children, Madison, 23, an art teacher at Reid Middle School, and Matthew, 22, a student at MCLA and member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, were forced to deal with even more loss. Their dog, Walter, and two cats, Mango and Lewis, died in the fire.
“We’re still trying to figure out everything,” said Wallace. “I’ve never been through anything like this.”
Investigators think they might have an idea about what caused the fire, he said. The home had issues with squirrels getting into a portion of the roof, and they may have chewed through the wiring of some ceiling fans on the porch.
So for now, they’re staying in a rental property in New Marlborough.
It’s been hard to figure out what the next steps toward rebuilding are, he said and in what order to take them.
His daughter’s close friend Molly Gingras started a GoFundMe to fundraise so the family could begin to repurchase the countless items they lost in the blaze.
“If we get as many people to donate even a little, it will really make a difference,” Gingras said.
But Dalton is showing up for the family, he said, dropping off water and clothing, and lending support at the time when they need it most. Wallace expressed gratitude to Scott and Diane Hall, who he said paid for the cremation of their animals, and provided a gift card so they could buy clothes.
“Dalton is a very small town, and everyone wants to help in some small way,” Wallace said. “I appreciate everything that people are doing.”
