Fundraiser launched for worker critically injured in Mission house fire

MISSION — Loved ones are now hoping to get a local man and his family back on their feet after a house fire left him with burns and several skull fractures Thursday evening (July 9).

Mission police say a 31-year-old from Chilliwack, along with two other workers, had been renovating a deck at a three-storey home on Cherry Avenue when a container of vinyl adhesive caught fire.

The man, Matthew Samms, then tried to move a large bucket of glue away from the flames, causing the fire to spread to him and his immediate surroundings. In an attempt to get out of the fire, he jumped off the deck – landing on his head.

“The doctors are saying the burns are the least of his worries at this point,” wrote Alixandria Lee, a friend of his family.

She shared that Samms is now on life support at Vancouver General Hospital after suffering a brain bleed and 10 fractures in his head.

“He’s a father, brother, uncle, friend. We love him.”

A fundraiser organized by Tyson Jackson has raised $1,230 toward its $3,500 goal at the time of writing.

WorkSafeBC was reportedly investigating and on scene of the incident.