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Fire destroys camper home of family near Dettah

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The remains of Stiopu's camper are seen on Dec. 10. (Photo courtesy of Katrina Stiopu)

A woman and her daughter are uninjured but homeless after a fire destroyed their camper near Dettah on the night of Dec. 9.

"We were inside my brother's place celebrating a birthday. Then I noticed the place I was staying in was on fire," as Katrina Stiopu told NNSL Media.

The camper home of Katrina Stiopu burned down on Dec. 9, near Dettah. (photo courtesy of Katrina Stiopu)

"By the time I ran outside it was too late to do anything. All of our winter gear and belongings are gone. We had a canvas tent built outside as a wood stove for heat."

The blaze had already destroyed the camper by the time the fire department arrived, but firefighters put out the flames, Stiopu said.

The Yellowknife Fire Division responded to the blaze and extinguished it, said City Clerk Debbie Gillard.

Stiopu and her eight-year-old daughter had set up their camper about 8 kilometres down Dettah Road. She estimates the camper itself was worth $30,000 and the possessions inside about $20,000.

During the night of Dec. 9 they stayed at Stiopu's brother's place and for Dec. 10 they'll stay with a friend. But for the rest of the week she isn't sure where they will stay.

"We will be couch-surfing until we find a place to sleep. I'm just taking it one day at a time. I don't have any plan right now. I don't know what to do," she said.

The Monday night incident wasn't the first time Stiopu lost her home.

"This is my second time losing a home to fire. The first time was in September 2005. We lost a $500,000 home. It was 4,000-square feet."

"I'm in shock and it just feels like one big bad dream."

Donations are being received to help Stiopu and her daughter recover from the fire. For more information email kstiopu23@outlook.com, call 867-621-7788 or visit the GoFundMe page set up for the family.

The camper was destroyed on Dec. 9. (Photo courtesy of Katrina Stiopu)