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Community rallies to support man who lost home in Cape fire

The construction trailer that had been Miles Peterson's home for the past year and a half burned on Oct. 3.
Miles Peterson
Miles Peterson

A cast iron pan was about all Miles Peterson could salvage from his fire-ravaged home.

The construction trailer that had been Peterson’s home for the last year and a half caught fire just after 4 p.m. Oct. 3. Peterson was staying on the Lighthouse Lane (Cape Roger Curtis) property as a caretaker for a large construction project where he is also a carpenter.

“I’ve had some time to process,” said Peterson Sunday evening. “Nobody got hurt, so that's the main thing, in my opinion. Everything else is just stuff.”

The trailer burning, Oct. 3.
The trailer burning, Oct. 3. - Aaron Hanen

But Peterson had quite a lot of “stuff” in the trailer: clothes, fishing gear, tv, computer, furnishings, sporting gear and some irreplaceable mementos.

So in the fire’s wake, the community has stepped up to support the islander, donating clothing and gear and starting up a Gofundme campaign to replace some of what was lost. Organized largely on Facebook by Basia Leiske, Peterson has quickly amassed some clothing and basics.

“They've been very, very helpful. I can't say that enough,” said Peterson.

“To be honest, it's very humbling experience,” he said. “And at one point, I knew that I just had to push my pride aside and just welcome the help because I needed some. And that was that was a different experience for me. I've never had something like this happen to me.”

“It was a good humbling experience though, because it was very welcoming, he said. “A lot of people that don't know me just sort of stepped up and helped out.”

Three days in, the Gofundme has raised nearly $3,000 of its $15,000 goal.

Peterson said he’s thankful for all the help and support from the community.

For now, Peterson has a place to stay and he’s looking at options for the future, but he says that he’s planning on sticking around here.