“Grandpa” Dong and “Grandma” Doris Han are still dealing with the aftermath of the fire that ripped through their home, but overwhelming support from the community is making that journey a whole lot easier.
The Feb. 3 fire was a massive one that engulfed their home at 801 Geikie St. and knocked out the power and Internet to the surrounding neighbourhood. No one was injured, but the house—and most of the belongings inside it—was almost completely destroyed.
Grandpa Han sat down to talk about the fire Feb. 9, and almost as soon as he opened his mouth he began thanking the community, which he said has supported him more than he ever could have imagined.
He looked a little different than normal—sporting a newly donated pair of pants, boots and gloves and a fancy Northface jacket—but he still wore his signature red hat, with the ear flaps turned up and a giant Community Outreach Services button pinned to the front.
He also wore a giant smile.
“I like to let Jasper people know we are OK; we are lucky; we are lucky to have you around us; we are so much touched and we will keep going with our lives,” he said, a seriousness creeping into his features. “I’m strong, life keeps going, and whatever we have, we try to do our best for now.”
The Hans are currently staying at their daughter’s house in Jasper, and are already beginning to rebuild their lives. Just a few days ago, Grandpa said, Grandma and his daughter went into Hinton to pick him up some of the basics.
Grandpa said small steps like that, and the love and support Jasperites have shown, are just some of the blessings that have come out of the fire.
“We have to look at the bright side. There are lots of people who are much more unfortunate than I am. There are some people with no house who sleep in the street, so I am the lucky guy.”
According to Deputy Fire Chief Don Smith the cause of the fire hasn’t yet been 100 per cent confirmed, but investigators know it almost certainly started in the garage next to the house.
“They’re looking pretty closely at the car that was in the garage,” he said.
Smith said that the car had been parked and plugged in only about 20 minutes before the fire was reported, and on the afternoon of the fire, flames were first spotted in the garage.
He said that he and other emergency officials are working with a private team of investigators hired by an insurance company to figure out exactly what happened.
He is also still waiting for reports from some early eyewitnesses to the scene, and said that at this point it’s hard to say exactly when a final conclusion about the fire’s cause will be reported.
On the day of the fire, the Hans left the house together to pick up oranges at Super A. Their next stop was the post office, and it was there that a young man told Grandpa there was smoke coming from his house.
“I didn’t believe him, I thought he was kidding,” Grandpa said, as his face creased into a giant smile. “So I drove down the alley and I saw the smoke, and then [I was just thinking] ‘oh God, please stop the fire, please stop the fire.’
“But it was so fast and so intense—there was no chance to do anything,” he recalled with clipped speech, emphasizing each word with small nods of his head. “It was just amazing how fast it was.”
Grandpa said he is still processing what happened, but that he and Grandma are healthy and strong, and looking to the future.
He said he doesn’t like to dwell on the negative things in life.
“This is my lifestyle: I wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and tell myself nobody is going to upset me in any circumstances.
“If you look at the negative side you may be sad, or [feel] bad. But we are so loved, and the loving is more than whatever materials—the material can be replaced.”
But even though he tries not to dwell on his possessions, he can’t help but find joy in the small things that survived the fire: some important photo albums, small emotionally significant items, even the Korean community banner he flies each year in the town’s Canada Day parade.
Grandpa said he is determined not to let the tragedy get to him, and he proved that last Sunday by organizing the weekly community dinner.
On Feb. 9 he also auditioned for the upcoming Jasper’s Got Talent variety show, where he said he will sing Bring Him Home, from the musical Les Miserables, dedicating it not only to David Wynn—the RCMP officer killed in St. Albert on Jan. 17—but all the emergency personnel in Jasper who helped him and Grandma in the aftermath of the fire.
“I love this community: the RCMP and the firefighters and [Victim Services] and COS—everybody tried to comfort us. We have the best RCMP in the world,” he said.
Grandpa said that because there’s no way to know what will happen to their old house any time soon, he and Grandma will begin looking for a new place soon. The Hans have seven kids, and Grandpa said they have already told him they want to all pitch in and buy their parent’s a new house if necessary.
Meanwhile, members of the Jasper community have already started raising money and taking donations for the Hans. St. Mary and St. George Anglican Parish set up a table at Super A Foods to collect donations, several community organizations are beginning to hold fundraisers, and the Fitzhugh has opened a trust fund at ATB Financial. To make a financial donation, visit the bank and inform the teller it’s for Grandpa and Grandma.
Grandpa said he is overwhelmed by the love and support the community has shown him, and that he doesn’t know how he will ever repay all the kindness.
“We’ve had so much community support—and I don’t know how to say it. Even if I had 1,000 mouths I cannot even say enough to thank [everyone].”
Trevor Nichols
[email protected]
