Cooped up in a room at Holiday Inn West on Riverside Street in Portland Tuesday, a Westbrook family still didn’t know what possessions they would be able to recover from their home, destroyed by fire early Saturday morning.
However, the Tuppers have already discovered just how many friends they have in the community.
“The support we’ve been getting from everybody is unreal,” Carl Tupper said Tuesday.
Tupper and his wife, Jo-ann, were sleeping at their home on Webster Street just after midnight Saturday, when their son, Dane Tupper, 16, who was still up playing a computer game, realized the garage was on fire. Though Carl Tupper was able to get his family out safely – including his wife, his son and his daughters, Stacey Maynard, 22, and Karen Maynard, 28 – the blaze took their home of nine years. Shredder, one of their two cats, died in the fire. The other cat, Domino, was rescued by a firefighter.
“It appears to be a total loss,” Westbrook Fire Capt. Charles Jarrett said Saturday.
According to Jarrett, the cause of the fire appears to be improper disposal of a cigarette. He said the firefighters were hampered in their effort to fight the fire because the exits were not properly cleared of snow and ice. One firefighter was treated for minor injuries, and Stacey Maynard was sent to Maine Medical Center due to smoke inhalation. Both have recovered.
Carl Tupper said his family is “holding up pretty well,” considering the circumstances.
“We have our good moments and our bad moments,” he said. “There are a lot of ‘what ifs.'”
Tupper said they are waiting for the insurance company to assess the damage before they go back into the house to see what’s left of their lives there. He said his wife is particularly concerned about pictures, and “the little things you collect over your lifetime – the special moments.”
Though the Tuppers may have lost a lot in the past week, within a day of the fire, they already had another experience they won’t forget.
Dane Tupper’s hockey team at Westbrook High School already had a fundraising dance planned for Saturday night. When the team got word of the fire, it decided the money would go to the Tupper family instead of the booster club. Tupper’s teammates managed to raise $2,000 cash for him and his family, and also donated gift certificates to local restaurants.
The giving didn’t stop there. Stockhouse Restaurant scheduled a fundraiser for the Tupper family on Wednesday night, after the American Journal’s deadline. Profenno’s Bar and Grill, where the Tuppers are regular customers, donated a $100 gift certificate.
“It’s just to help out,” said Peter Profenno, the restaurant’s owner. “They’re part of the community.”
The gifts and support the Tuppers received have helped them keep a positive outlook on their unfortunate situation, and keep going on with their lives. They’re planning on rebuilding their home in the same spot.
“You’ve got to return back to normal,” said Carl Tupper Tuesday, before leaving the hotel to attend his son’s hockey game.
“Our life has been broken into 1,000 pieces,” he said. “But there are 1,001 people looking to help out.”
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