Broadview-area family loses pets, home in fire

Tragedy struck for one farming family last week.

The Rienks family, who live near Broadview, were on a trip to Estevan on Sept. 20. When they returned home, their house had been destroyed by a fire.

Amanda and Terry Rienks lived there with five of their six children.

It was a difficult scene to witness for the couple.

“Devastation. It’s all gone. You couldn’t even tell it was our home,” Amanda said.

The entire house and everything inside was destroyed. Four of their pets were killed.

Terry fondly remembered one of his cats.

“He was just a baby when we got him. I rescued him from a dog that was eating all the other kittens. We nurtured this sucker back to life. He was no bigger than the palm of your hand,” he remembered, tearing up.

Of the three dogs they owned, one managed to survive.

“Our big Great Dane, Dudley … he was a 180-pound dog … he actually pinned down our little pug and hid him behind himself … he gave up his life to save our pug,” he said.

It has been difficult for Amanda and Terry but equally so for their kids.

“The memories … that’s an understatement. We had stuff that goes back to our childhoods in there,” Amanda said.

“Our three younger kids, that was their home. They were born and that’s all they know … and it went up in smoke,” she continued.

Luckily, the family will have some help on the financial front, but for Terry, it’s cold comfort.

“We had insurance, that’s the only real blessing, but I would rather not be using insurance. I would rather be in the house that we had. I loved the place,” he said.

After the fire, they were sheltered by a neighbour and have received support from many friends and nearby community members. It’s something that Terry appreciates.

“Us being who we are, we’re the type of people where we do everything to help everybody else. We’re a part of the community, the Kinsmen Club, we were first responders, we were on the fire department. We’re the type of people that give everything and we ask for nothing. To have all this support is just unbelievable,” he said with a tear.