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Donors rally to help Yellowknife couple displaced by house fire

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It took 16 firefighters three hours to extinguish the blaze, which broke up just before at the couple's Ingraham Drive home just 5 p.m. Wednesday. No one was injured in the fire. Brendan Burke/NNSL photo. June 4, 2017.

Donors dug deep into their pockets to help a Yellowknife couple whose Old Town home was destroyed by a fire earlier this week.

A GoFundMe campaign launched Wednesday for Jeremy Emerson and Roberta Hickey, whose Ingraham Drive house near Pilots’ Monument burned late Tuesday evening, had raised over $9,500 - just shy of its $10,000 goal - by press time Thursday.

The couple, along with their dog Bowie, were unharmed in the fire.

“These folks help people like it's going out of style. Let's return the favour,” writes the GoFundMe organizer.

"Old Town strong," wrote one of the 120 plus people who pitched in.

GoFundMe.com photo.

Following an outpouring of support from donors, the page's organizer bumped the initial $5,000 target up to $10,000.

"Holy crap, Yellowknife. I am not surprised by you in the slightest. Thank you so much for your quick generosity - I'm so happy that we can help these amazing people out in their time of need," they wrote.

It took 16 firefighters three hours to extinguish the blaze, the City of Yellowknife stated Wednesday.

It took 16 firefighters three hours to extinguish the blaze, which broke up just before at the couple's Ingraham Drive home just 5 p.m. Wednesday. No one was injured in the fire.
Brendan Burke/NNSL photo.
June 4, 2017.

The territory’s fire marshal is now investigating.

What caused the fire remains undetermined.