(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

CHASE — Firefighters with Chase Fire Rescue hosting a car wash fundraiser this Saturday for the family of a Kamloops woman who died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at a Salmon Arm campground over the Victoria Day long weekend.

The woman who died was camping with her daughter on Saturday, May 18, when RCMP officers received a call of two individuals suspected of a possible carbon monoxide poisoning. Emergency crews found an adult dead inside a tent along with a young girl who was in serious condition and was airlifted to hospital. The identities of the woman who died and her daughter have not been released by authorities.

Chase firefighter Samantha Sampson, who is organizing the fundraiser, says one of the team members with the fire department was related to the woman who died.

"It's been pretty devastating and upsetting," Sampson says. 

Sampson isn't able to provide any details of the young girl's condition without the family's permission, but says the fire department is trying to stay optimistic.

A GoFundMe page set up to bring the sister of the deceased woman from Scotland to Canada says the young girl is still in critical condition as of yesterday, May 20.

"We are trying to stay positive for the little girl, she is very strong," she says.

Sampson says the parents of the young girl's classmates contacted her to ask if they could set up a fundraiser to help the family with unexpected costs. 

"A car wash is super simple and we have everything already because we have to wash our (fire) trucks anyways," she says. "It was something we could put together on short notice."

Sampson says they are hoping to collect a minimum of $1,000.

"If we could do more than that, it would be great," she says. "It would go towards anything the family needs right now so they can focus on healing and being there for each other than thinking, 'What am I going to do with all these bills?'"

The car wash will take place on Saturday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the PharmaChoice drug store in Chase at 825 Shuswap Ave. There will be a barbecue, a bake sale and a dog wash.

For more information visit the event Facebook page here.

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