The town of Les Coteaux, Que. is mobilizing to support the boy whose parents and two siblings were claimed by a fire Dec. 23.
By Monday morning more than $40,000 had been raised for Mathis Gagnon, the sole survivor of the blaze that killed his brother Felix, 2, sister Lorie, 4, his father Patrick Gagnon, 37, and mother Karine Desrochers-Gauther, 32.
According to his great-grandmother, the eight year old awoke from his coma Christmas Day and immediately asked, “Are my parents dead?”
"Everybody is devastated, even people who didn't know them," said resident Cathline Porcheron. "Everybody's sad."
Les Coteaux is town of about 5,000 that sits 65 km southwest of downtown Montreal.
One town official said that sympathy, concern and support have flowed in since news came out.
“Not only from the community but from the province as a whole,” said Town Councillor Francois Deschamps. “We've had support from all of Quebec, we’ve had a flood of support coming in."
Donations are also being accepted the Metro supermarket in St. Zotique. A Facebook page has also been set up to provide further information.
The general population is invited to send funds for the boy at 65 Principale Les Coteaux or Town Hall in St. Zotique. The donations will be administered by the Firefighters' Social Club.
Another charity group, Community Wings, is also collecting funds for Mathis that will be used for school supplies and fees.
