A family lost their home and their guest cabin all in one fiery shot, July 2.
At 11:30 a.m., the Bouchie Lake Volunteer Fire Department was called to the 2400-block of Norwood Road to the home of Danny Dahdouh and his children. Dahdouh and all residents of the house were away on a family vacation at the time. The only occupant of the house was the dog, which was rescued by a neighbour and the RCMP.
The pair of structures were entirely razed by the fire. He has insurance on the home, but lost a lifetime of keepsakes and other items of value that insurance won’t address. He already misses the keepsakes related to his late mother and late father, and the personal belongings of his kids aged 13, 10 and 9.
“My house was up in flames that I built with my own working hands,” he told The Observer from his holiday location. “Heavy D’s house is burned to the ashes.” In addition to the house, “I lost my cabin and everything in the cabin. It’s back to square one, flat ground, like I bought it five years ago.”
Dahdouh is known in Quesnel as Heavy D, the owner-chef behind two Heavy D’s BBQ locations.
The authorities he spoke with told him there was nothing for him to do at the site, no reason for him to come home prematurely, so use the remaining holiday time to de-stress.
“They said it was something to do with the air conditioner, an electrical issue…It went up in flames really fast,” Dahdouh said. The family appreciated that the fire department took the initiative to obtain a veterinarian who confirmed the dog’s good health.
The Observer reached out for comment from the Bouchie Lake Volunteer Fire Department, but did not hear back by deadline during the holiday weekend.
The Quesnel Fire Rescue Department also sent a firetruck and personnel to aid in the firefighting efforts. Water shuttling to a bladder was necessary, since there are no fire hydrants in that area.
Anyone wishing to donate to his situation can email him at: dannygrw@hotmail.com
READ MORE: Quesnel-area home fully destroyed by fire
READ MORE: Shop fire’s ripple effect for Bouchie Lake VFD
Bouchie Lake Volunteer Fire Department couldn’t stop the flames from consuming this house and adjacent cabin on Norwood Drive, July 2. (Karen Powell photo)
