Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I want to welcome to the show, Kasha Lucier, Branford's
own photographer. What is your relation to the family, to
the to Foxfield Farm too. I didn't get to that, Kasha.
I appreciate you coming on to fill me in. This
looked like a horrible fire midday Friday and a lot
(00:20):
of wild light, well now wild at all. A lot
of farm animals, livestock went in this fight, which is
just heartbreaking.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
What is your connection with the families?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
A Hi, Danya, thank you for having me on. I'm
actually me and my family are their next door neighbors
and we share a driveway.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Oh wow, we moved.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yeah, we moved into our house about six years ago.
And yeah, and they've become our family. Really, they're amazing people.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
But I mean, from what I heard of the fire too,
and you're you're sharing a driveway, did it get did
it get close enough that you and yours were in
a bit of a panic or was it contained at
least that much?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
It was contained to their property. It got a little
bit of their shed, but it didn't get to their
house either, So that is really good.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, and you.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Were telling me too, it's three generations and these are
at least some of the owners of Foxfield Farm, where
the folks behind Shelley's. You know, I just drove by.
I just went to Richland literally Thursday and looked over
at where Shelley's used to be and mourned it, and
(01:32):
I thought, you know, why did that have to go?
And that's where I used pumpkins in the fall, and
you get the house going and spring and it's just
sitting empty now. So it's surrealed air you mentioned because
I just said that it is, Yeah, and nobody snapped
it right up to do the same. They were there
for so for decades. You'd think somebody would come along
(01:54):
and try their hand at it.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
And we were all hoping for that.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, it was you know, I was on my way
home and getting alerts that this was because I live
in Branford. Another exit I get off Exit fifty five.
And heartbreaking later in the day when you hear because
the community started rallying online right away. But in the
(02:19):
end when here one horse.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Survived, Yeah, it's devastating. It's so heartbreaking.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
And you know, I know so many of Branford firefighters
and they do a great job, but I can't imagine
a job like this one, you know, with all of
those animals, what the nightmares those guys are going to
have from this particular job?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Did you start the GoFundMe? Yes, okay.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
And the figure you're saying it's that right now is
really impressive and speaks volumes about these people.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
It is. I mean, we're a little over seventy seven thousand.
I mean, the community is really coming together for this
family because I mean this family has and part of
Branford for generations and everybody loved them, and it's just
it's heartbreaking to everybody. We all want to see them,
you know, move forward and rebuild.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
And I saw some people posting That's why I was
asking you, like to give me specifically where it was,
and I was thinking of a different farm, but I
because there's so many in Branford that there's a lot
of farms in Branford. I think there's as many farms
as there are trailer parks, oh Gosha, to be honest,
and package stores. We've got our fair share of liquor
(03:33):
stores too, we do. We're all sat on that front
as well. But you know, I saw so many people
I know who my kids grew up with who were like,
that's where my daughter went to ride, that's where my doo.
It was very popular in that way too.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Lots of birthday parties, pony parties, summer experiences. I mean, yeah,
it's NonStop up here.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I heard it got bad and I'm not sure it
was ongoing. I kept you know, I didn't. It was
a couple hours before I heard it was under control.
Is it true that the Guildford Fire Department had to
come along as well.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Yes, we had the Brentford and Guilford Fire departments here
pretty much all day trying to contend it took it
took most of the day to really contain there was
so much smoke, but they did an amazing job. We
had a lot of people here in the community. I mean,
we had a lot of people show up and help
(04:28):
with excavator to try and get the horses out, and
people just helping clean up. People you know, getting food
for the firefighters and coffee to keep them going. It
was It's heartbreaking, but the community really stepped in well.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
And I know what it's like too, when a young
girl who grows up riding a specific horse and the
attachment between and I read the names over the weekend,
you know, somebody posted rest in Peace Merlin. I saw
Merlin and I thought, you know, there are probably so
many now, you know, now in their twenties, but like
(05:07):
I rode Merlin for ten years, it feels like a
family member. And yeah, horrible way to go, I was.
I was thinking too as I perused your page and more.
I'm with Kasha Lucier, who put together this GoFundMe, a
neighbor to the Foxfield Farm. I tried to be optimistic,
which I don't know if you know anything about me,
(05:27):
I'm not often optimistic. But when I saw some of
your beautiful work, I assumed you probably took some really
beautiful photos of these animals that are no longer with
us though, right, thank you.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah, I do have some photos of them, and you know,
you look back on it and you wish you had
more opportunities. You always think there's going to be another day.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
What started to that end? Too? Did they determine what
started this?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
They don't know yet. I think there's going to be
an investigation, but nobody really knows at this point. And
it happened so fast, it was, Yeah, I mean, the
farm was so well tapped.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I'm sure, Yeah, I'm sure. Uh they all are, I mean,
and they all you know, I knew the name of it.
I just confused it with another, So I mean, I
know of all that. Like you said, the pony parties
there too. You know, you wonder if it's just it's
been so damn cold. Probably yeah, and you're trying to
you probably have heaters.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I would imagine the heaters.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
There's no heat in the barn. It was all, you know,
self contained. So it's really at this point, nobody.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Knows which horse made it. I I heard the one
horse made it out. Do you know which one?
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yes, her name is Sedona. It's one of the horses
that Taylor acquired in the last year or so. And
it's a beautiful horse. And uh, somebody stepped up from
a nearby family farm and came to grab her, and uh,
she's okay, she's all good. So she made it out.
And then we had a cat and a guinea pig makeout.
(07:03):
We did lose some rabbits, a few cats and guinea pigs,
but it wasn't just the horses.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It was as of right now, yeah, as of right now,
while we're speaking, seventy seven and fifty three dollars on
the GoFundMe. It does amazing, it is it does, say,
of one hundred and ten thousand, somebody put a goal
of one hundred and ten thousand.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, so the goal increases automatically as we reached the threshold.
We when I set up the golf on me, I
put in ten thousand, because that's what it allowed me
to do. And it just it's been going up and up,
and it's it's truly amazing. I'm very grateful.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, I spent a little time going going through looking
at some of the donations. It's amazing to see so
many names that I recognize. Not surprising at all the generous,
but what the really generous people like Mungay, I know,
against one thousand dollars towards this, but to see how
many just anonymous, like I don't want, I don't need
(08:04):
anybody to see my name on the so many anonymous
and that's you know, I don't mean to draw such
a distinction, but I've never seen so many anonymous, and
it's just people like I don't need anybody.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
To know what I'm doing.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
No, people just want to help.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
I want to Yeah, where's the family.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Now it's the Scustle and Chambers family. I mean, how
many members and where are they staying now?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Their home? Ye, John and Yvette Chambers, they're the grandparents.
Taylor Ben are their kids, and then their three girls, Auto,
Aurora and Ava. Yeah and uh and they they're all
their dogs are okay? Thank goodness?
Speaker 1 (08:44):
You know, I saw, I saw Kasha. I saw at
one point because I was staying on top of it.
I was really staying on top of the story moreover
as a Branford resident, a radio host or anything like that.
But I actually saw somebody take a lawal news station
or maybe it was the patch, I don't know. They
took someone the task for posting about this during a
(09:08):
school day when the kids are in school and could
see it. They they ran down the riot act And
I thought, you know, I wouldn't have really thought like that.
They're right, what what kid wants to find out something
like that during the middle of a school day.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
How did the kids find out?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I didn't even think of it. She was just a.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Tiger mom who was like taking the local you know,
media coverage down, and she was right to how did
the kids find out? What did they they came home
to this or did they know on their way Were
they on a school bus on their way getting closer
and closer to smoke.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
That would be dramatic.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Yeah. No, Taylor went to get her girls. Okay, she
came to the farm. She you know, she checked out
what was going on, pure shock, pure shot. But you know,
her first thought was I need to go get my
girls and uh, because they can't go through this alone.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
And I'm looking at that photos of it now, you know.
One of the best things that had going for them
the firefighters on Friday was clear blue skies and it
you know, and it being a midday thing.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Yeah, but it was. It was Fridgid called and my
heart goes out to you know, all the firefighters and
people who were helping. It was freezing and I believe
one firefighter went to the hospital with burns on his hand,
but he's okay.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And I'm sure the community's not done too. I'm sure
there's going to be fundraiser on top of fundraiser.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Out of this.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
And we're already.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Nearing eighty thousand dollars as far as and you go
to GoFundMe dot com slash I want to make sure
is it all this community Help for Foxfield Farms Recovery.
I would imagine you just type in Foxfield Farms you'll
get there.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah, you should be able to find it. Yeah, the
titles community Help for Foxfield Farms Recovery. So I think
if you type in Foxfield Farms, you'll be able to
find it.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
And we're on with Kasha Lucier again, neighbor photographer, community activist.
If you will this time around, and I appreciate you
coming on this morning. Let's stay in touch and anything
you know, anymore I can do to help and to
spread the word, you know, I would love to do.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
I feel awful for them, Yes, thank you, and I
really appreciate this you having me on.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Oh absolutely, And I'm sure they appreciate all that you do.
I didn't realize sharing your driveway. But you know, that's
the thing too, is getting a fire contained quickly enough
that it doesn't, you know, engulf a block. But there's
so much farm out and there was probably more than
enough elbow room. But I hated hearing only one horse
(11:37):
made it out. That's that's tough stuff too. And somebody
else writing, but you know, I saw rest in peace, Merlin.
And and I thought, you know, I know them from
from around town. And her daughter's older now, but I'm like,
she probably rode Merlin when she was, you know, a
little girl, and look forward to that all day.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Every day.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
I remember pick my kids up at school and the
girls who were going riding right out, they came out
of school like rockets school. What got them through the
school day was heading to their writing lessons afterwards. And
so many must be heartbroken right now. So I want
to keep spreading the word as far as fox Field
(12:19):
Farm in Moramfort is concerned. But this is a staggering figure,
still a waste to go if we can, and we'll
keep it posted on it