×

14-year-old shares story after family home is lost

Submitted photos Pictured are photos of the remains of the Bensink family’s home after a devastating fire destroyed a significant portion of the house last Friday.

As the Bensink family begins moving forward with daily activities following a devastating house fire last week, 14-year-old Thandon Bensink is sharing his story with the community.

Bensink shared his account of his family’s house, located at 6060 Centralia-Hartfield Road, and the fire’s impact with The Post-Journal.

Bensink said he was sitting in his classroom while his dad, Travis Bensink, was volunteering as a chef for Chautauqua Lake Central School’s “Wellness Day.”

“He got a call from Tricia Smith, and she said that our house is burning down, so my dad ran out of the building and then my teacher helped me grab my stuff and she told the office that I needed to leave, and so I left with my mom to go to our house,” he said.

The Bensink family said that after arriving at the house around 11 a.m., they remained at the scene of the fire until roughly 1:30 p.m.

Submitted photos Pictured are photos of the remains of the Bensink family’s home after a devastating fire destroyed a significant portion of the house last Friday.

“We had to watch it all burn down,” Thandon Bensink said.

After departing from the scene of the house fire, the Bensink family returned to Chautauqua Lake Central School and gathered the remaining three siblings, Tatum, Tripp and Talia in the school’s board room.

“We told them that our house had gone and that our dogs and cats had passed away,” Thandon Bensink said. “The school took care of us and got us meals and stuff and clothes ready to go.”

After the school day, Bensink said Carl Swan, a family friend and banker, helped the family organize and take care of insurance other financial information. Following that, the Bensink family went to another friend’s house to bury their dogs. Of the family’s six total animals, four cats and two dogs, only two of the cats survived the house fire.

After burying their two dogs, Bensink said his family went to a furnished condo home that the Chautauqua Institution provided for the family to stay in for the time being.

Submitted photos Pictured are photos of the remains of the Bensink family’s home after a devastating fire destroyed a significant portion of the house last Friday.

The day after the fire, Bensink said the family returned to the house to see what they could salvage whatever they could from the remains of the house.

“We found that the whole upstairs had been like gone, like everything was burned,” he said.

While most of the Bensink family’s possessions were either lost in the fire or ruined by smoke or water, Thandon Bensink said some items were salvaged, such as items that had been stored in drawers. He explained that the family packed whatever they could in bins in order to save anything that could be saved. Multiple friends and community members helped the family pack up the salvaged items and transport them on a friend’s trailer.

In addition to salvaging items from the house, Bensink said his family found one of their two cats that they lost in the fire and buried it on the property, prior to returning to the condo at the Institution.

On Sunday, family friends took the Bensink children shopping in Lakewood for clothes and other basic necessities that had been destroyed and lost in the house fire.

Thandon Bensink said he returned to school for a half-day.

“I was cared for there by the teachers,” he said. “Mr. Richardson, my guidance counselor, talked to me for a little bit. I went through that day cared for, and then after, went to wrestling practice and I felt cared for there by my wrestling coaches. They just asked if they could do anything.”

On Tuesday, Bensink said he returned for a full-day of school, where he prayed with his guidance counselor and continued to receive care throughout the day. Following the school day, Bensink said he returned to football and wrestling practice, where his coaches continued to provide support and care for him and his family.

As the family continues to find the “new normal,” Travis Bensink told The Post-Journal how important it is for his son Thandon to be able to share his story.

“This is a good opportunity for him to share his side of it,” he said. “He was there, he was at the fire, he was there afterwards with everything, so it’s good for him to share that.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today