Talk about stuff that has nothing to do with Ghostbusters!
#4946560
Earlier today Charles posted this via his Facebook page:
Charles wrote: The home I shared with my parents and daughter was completely destroyed in a fire last night while we were all away (thank you Jesus!) on a trip.
We don’t know what caused the fire at this time, but we’ve pretty much lost everything we owned; save for our two vehicles, the things we packed for a 3-day trip and a storage shed that was spared. Today was supposed to be fun-filled day at Universal Studios in celebration of my daughter’s 12th birthday, instead it has become an absolute living nightmare.

Please understand, I’m not asking for anything from anyone, except maybe your prayers and good vibes for my family during this very difficult time...they are needed and are sincerely appreciated. I just would rather say something about what has happened myself versus you hearing about it from somebody else.

I’m definitely grateful to all the first responders and Fire Department that did what they could to contain the fire and put it out and I feel extremely blessed no one was hurt. I’m struggling to keep a positive attitude and remain strong, but honestly, I’m completely overwhelmed with such an enormous loss of every material possession we accumulated over the 3 decades that we’ve lived here. I’m also distraught over items that belonged to others that were in our care that were unfortunately lost as well. Please don’t think I’m ignoring you if I don’t respond to messages or calls for the time being. There’s just so much to deal with, foremost working out temporary housing arrangements. I will follow up when things get more settled and if I owe you something, I will do my best to make it right when I am able.

As I was driving my daughter back home early this morning and while I was still reeling internally from being told of the extent of damage, I was talking out loud and said “I guess I’m no longer a Ghostbuster...every piece of equipment, memorabilia and toy that I own with a Ghostbuster logo on it is gone.” My daughter looked at me and said; “You’re still a Ghostbuster, daddy, you don’t need any of that stuff to be one.” My amazing daughter, Lara, is so precious to me, and her words of encouragement at that moment, while she, herself, is suffering from the same tremendous loss of all her possessions meant more than she will ever realize.

My fiancé, Cynthia, has been a true angel since the moment we found out about the fire and she is helping me to cope with it all while also providing shelter. There are many others that have extended help already in various ways; thank you and bless each and every one of you.
For those who'd like to assist financially, a gofundme page has been set up to help Charles and his family rebuild.

In addition to the house, the fire also destroyed Charles' workshop and equipment, affecting any outstanding orders he may've had.
In the aim of not putting any more on his plate than he already has at this time, if anyone needs to ask a question about an order, please feel free to message me, and I will pass these questions on to Charles in due course.
#4946562
Absolutely gutted for Charles and also myself. I'm one of the people who had an outstanding order with him, which combined with the payment for his work and the kits I sold to him accounted to well over $800. Part of which was an electronics kit that can't be replaced as I spent ages tracking down the last surviving kit in the wild.

I've been in contact with Charles and assured him he has space to recover before we talk about how to make this right but money aside, the kits can't be replaced even if he gave me twice the money I'm now out.

Regardless, I'm sure Charles has enough on his plate as he feels horrible over losing other peoples stuff, let alone his own vast collection and his families belongings. Thankfully nobody was hurt and I hope that insurance alongside this fundraiser can help Charles get back on his feet as well as replacing his own collection.

Crap Day
#4946729
Here's the latest update from Craig from Yes Have Some Podcast:
Craig wrote:Hey everyone! In just a few days, we were able to raise over $12,500!* Charles and his family are now getting settled in their temporary housing and have begun the process of navigating insurance claims, buying new clothes and other essentials, and planning their next steps for re-building their home.

I have been in regular contact with Charles and he once again wanted to thank everyone for their ongoing support of this campaign. Though Charles isn't able to reach out to everyone individually, please know that him and his entire family are completely blown away by the GB community and they can't wait to get Fincher Technologies back up and running! (Where else are we going to get accurate GB1 ribbon cables? :)

We will have more updates later in the week.
*As of today, the total raised to help Charles and his family is an incredible $13,235.
#4947041
abaka wrote: March 21st, 2021, 1:01 pm Nice to see that Charles is posting about replacing his collection of toys....As opposed to making right to the people who lost possessions that were entrusted to him.
The guy's going to be living out of a hotel for an unknown period going forward. I appreciate and understand your frustration at the personal items that were lost in the fire, but it's clear at the moment he's not currently in the position to "make right" what was lost, not until they've got the house and workshop rebuilt, and that's going to be months away.

I appreciate that I'm not in the same position as you in this, but I view it as a sign he's starting to put his life back together... Not something intended maliciously.

I feel confident that Charles will make good on squaring things off with everyone in the fullness of time.
#4947044
abaka wrote: March 21st, 2021, 1:01 pm Nice to see that Charles is posting about replacing his collection of toys....As opposed to making right to the people who lost possessions that were entrusted to him.
It's safe to assume they lost irreplaceable items in the fire that were more important then toys and other peoples props.
I'm sure they lost pictures and family heirlooms that had a lot of sentimental value, Just Imagine EVERYTHING you owned being engulfed in flames and having to restart your life again.

I might not be in your situation (your stuff being lost in Charles possession) but I have been in Charles current situation and I can tell you from experience that going through a fire is one of the worst soul crushing events that could possibly happen to your life! Don't judge the guy for trying to get back some normality from a fire that happened just a few weeks ago.
Kingpin liked this
#4947054
I’m not interested in getting into a moral debate in this one. I can appreciate the need to pay bills, pay accommodation, buy clothes and essentials. But I see the purchasing of toys and collectibles as a luxury. And something that should be looked at once all your other ducks are in order.

I personally have no issue with the replacing of his daughters toys as a parent I would be doing everything I can to ensure that my daughter has some sense of normality.

As both replies have stated, they’re not in my position but put themselves in that position. Say you lost very expensive items and irreplaceable items that you had entrusted to another party and then see that other person buying toys.

I have nothing for sympathy for Charles and his family. I struggle to know how I would manage to keep going every day if that happened to me but I can only view things from my perspective. And to me, toys would be the absolute last thing on my mind.

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