Woman who survived fire that killed 4 taken off ventilator: GoFundMe
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A badly-injured woman who survived a horrific house fire which claimed the lives of her child, mother and friend suffered severe lung damage, according to a GoFundMe set up on her behalf.
Tyler MacDougall, who created a fundraising page to help with funeral costs, posted online that Arija Jansons is expected to survive her ordeal.
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“Arija has been taken off a ventilator and is now breathing on her own. She has severe lung damage. She is expected to survive, but we still don’t know the full extent of her injuries,” he wrote on Saturday.
Toronto firefighters responded to a home on Gainsborough Rd. — near Coxwell Ave. and Gerrard St. — that was fully engulfed in flames around 4:30 a.m. Friday. Four people were killed in the fire.
“Arija Jansons suffered a horrific tragedy in the early morning of Jan. 29, 2021, when her house burned down. Thankfully, she survived. Tragically, she lost her mom, Jana, her beautiful son, Kai, and one of her closest friends in the disaster,” wrote MacDougall.
“As a dear friend of Arijas and her family, we have decided to put this fundraiser together to help her through what is to be one of the most challenging times in her life. Not only will she have to heal from the injuries she’s incurred, she must now rebuild her life from the ground up. Along with covering the costs of a funeral for both her mother and son.”
As of Sunday night, the fundraising effort had raised nearly $26,000 of the campaign’s $30,000 goal.
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As second GoFundMe set up for Jansons — organized by Sandra Memenis — had pledges adding up to more than $56,000 of the $60,000 goal as of Sunday night.
Heather Atkinson, who donated to MacDougall’s effort, said as a single mom, she couldn’t imagine the challenges facing Jansons.
“We don’t live very far from the family home and it was heart-wrenching to hear of this tragedy. Your community surrounds you and is here to help, Arija. You are not alone,” she wrote.
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