A family of four is grieving after one of their loved ones, 51-year-old Cameron Fowler passed away following a house fire New Years Day. RCMP have said it is not considered suspicous(Tiffany Goodwein CHAT NEWS TODAY)

By Tiffany Goodwein

still more support needed

Support pours in for Brooks family displaced by fire

Jan 2, 2022 | 7:19 PM

BROOKS AB- It was supposed to be a day of celebration but for one Brooks family, the first hours of 2022 turned to tragedy after their house became engulfed by flames. Four people, including two young children, are displaced, and 51-year old Cameron Fowler, a beloved father, husband, and long-time butcher at JBS Foods died.

For Bruce Fowler, Cameron’s brother-in-law, the news came as a total shock. He drove several hours from his home as soon as he got word of the fire and his brother-in-law’s death.

“I’m shocked that he is gone and it is too fresh to even really process what really happened,” he said.

“ Cam was a very kind-hearted person. He was very musical, very gifted in many ways,” he added.

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According to Fowler, the fire started in the basement and it was Cameron’s wife sleeping upstairs that first smelled the smoke.

“ She woke up to the fire alarm going off, and when she opened her eyes her room was surrounded in smoke. So she got up, and I believe she dragged her daughter to the door on the landing in the front here. She ran downstairs, she went and woke up Cam. She actually ripped his shirt off in order to wake him up, and then he woke up. He was in shock and so he ran up the stairs and pushed my sister-in-law and his daughter outside the door, and locked it,” he said.

Fowler believes Cameron was trying to retrieve his three pets downstairs. Within 10 minutes the Brooks Fire Department arrived at the house and found Cameron at the back door. Fowler said EMS came and transported Cameron but it was too late.

RCMP have stated they do not believe the fire is suspicious, and fire investigators continue to look into the cause of the blaze.

The family from Cambodia which includes Cameron`s sister-in-law Tia and son-law Tony remain in a state of shock. The family lost everything, and escaped the fire with nothing, not even shoes, according to Fowler.

But JBS the company where both Cameron and his wife worked, raced right away to come to the family’s aide. The company went to Walmart to buy the displaced family members clothes and put them up in a hotel to ensure they had a place to stay.

“ On behalf of the family, I’m very grateful that JBS has been here right at the instant things happened. They have been here for my family. We are very, very appreciative of that,” Fowler said.

Fowler said the family is still in need of more support as they continue to mourn the loss of their loved one and work to find a new place to live. The Cameron Fowler Fire Fund will be set up at the Bank of Montreal in Brooks on Monday morning for anyone wishing to donate.