Fundraiser underway for victim of Ootischenia fire : My Kootenay Now

The children of a man who lost a home he was building in Ootischenia have set up a GoFundMe campaign for him.

Stephan Piernitzki has been building a rammed earth home on McPhee Road over the past few years. It caught fire early one morning last week.

Stephan’s son Shawn said the fire occurred when no one was on site, and his father woke to multiple missed calls from the fire chief.

“He’s still in shock over this incident,” Shawn said, noting the cause remains under investigation. The family is encouraging anyone with information or footage from that night to come forward.

Shawn says his father did have a construction insurance policy, but it doesn’t cover replacement, meaning he won’t be in a position to a hire a builder for reconstruction and will have to do the work himself.

“The policy cap must cover debris removal and reconstruction, which is challenging given his significant investment in materials and labour,” Shawn said, adding that his father has poured his savings and energy into the project, and the timing of the tragedy, just before Christmas, makes it even harder.

“If he needs to start from scratch, the policy will barely cover materials, especially considering the high engineering costs associated with rammed earth construction. Additionally, he lost nearly all of his tools — a devastating loss after 50 years in the business.”

Shawn’s sister Talia has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help replace their father’s tools, and Shawn is planning work parties next summer to help with reconstruction. So far $2,500 has been raised toward a $6,500 goal.

Shawn and Talia both grew up in the Kootenays but now live in the Okanagan.

“We are grateful for the community’s support and the efforts to help make rebuilding possible,” Shawn said. “We hope the community can rally to help our dad get this project back on track.”

Shawn said anyone who would like to support his father in ways other than financial can reach out to him or his sister.