The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,F ebruary 25,2021 theifp.ca sleep dentistry available New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Marketplace dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. Join the Town of Halton Hills for the Affordable Housing Virtual Open House March 4, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. on Let's Talk Halton Hills Visit the Affordable Housing project page on Let's Talk Halton Hills to register for the Virtual Open House. Tell us your story and help shape the future of affordable housing in Halton Hills. We want to hear from you! Join Mayor Bonnette, Town staff and members of the Affordable Housing Working Group and tell us what affordable housing means to you. Learn about topics such as affordable housing initiatives in Halton Hills, benefits of accessory dwelling units in today's housing market and more. 1 Halton Hills Drive, Halton Hills, L7G 5G2 | 905-873-2600 | 1-877-712-2205 | haltonhills.ca A Halton Hills family is struggling to get back on its feet after a weekend house fire left the local residents homeless. The Miller/ Payne family says they've lost almost everything they own to fire and smoke dam- age after a Feb. 14 blaze started in the master bed- room of their home on Hwy. 7, near 22 Sideroad. Now, the local clan -- in- cluding a pregnant wom- an, seven-year-old child with cancer and elderly man -- are living in a hotel room and trying to get funds together for necessi- ties like food and a future home. A GoFundMe page has been established, with a goal to raise $10,000 to se- cure a new rental house and furniture. "Nothing can be saved in our home, so we have to start from the beginning," said Jessica Miller, a moth- er of two who's expecting her third child in June. "We don't have tenant insur- ance -- nothing is cov- ered." It has certainly been a challenging year for the Miller/Payne family. Since last April, the local resi- dents have received a can- cer diagnosis for their son Bentley, who has a tumour impacting his brain and spine, and endured a car accident and motorcycle accident, the latter of which has left Miller's hus- band, Allan Payne, unable to work. She said it's believed the fire was caused by an elec- trical issue stemming from an extension cord used in the master bedroom. Shortly after putting her son to bed at 9 p.m., Miller said she and Payne started smelling smoke. "We raced down the hall- way and opened the (mas- ter bedroom) door -- a puff of black smoke came out, and we could see the fire," she recalled. "My husband yelled, 'Fire, everybody out of the house!' My son was sleeping in the room across (the hallway), so I grabbed him and ran outside." After Payne and friend Sean Laws had made sure everyone got out safely -- including 11-year-old daughter Savanna, Miller's grandfather Ken Elliott and Payne's brother An- gelo Cook, who also lived there -- the two men went back in with fire extin- guishers. "They did put out the fire before it made it through the whole house," Miller said, but noted smoke damage throughout other areas of the home was extensive. While the family has se- cured emergency shelter at the Quality Suites in Oak- ville, Miller said that sup- port will run out in about two weeks, making it all the more urgent for the family to find a new home. In the meantime, the lo- cal residents are also in need of grocery store gift cards and donations of hy- giene products and cloth- ing (men's size large/extra- large, women's size medi- um, women's size large and children's size 7/8). Board games and crafts for the kids would also be wel- comed. Donation drop-offs can be arranged by texting Miller at 647-615-7892. NEWS 'NOTHING CAN BE SAVED' FIRE LEAVES FAMILY IN NEED Jessica Miller and seven-year-old son, Bentley, who's currently battling cancer. Jessica Miller photo MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com