More than 24 hours after a fire completely destroyed a boarding house on McIntyre Street, residents are beginning to ask about the thirteen people now left homeless.
While the owner of the house had fire insurance, Deputy Fire Chief Greg Saunders says none of the residents had tenant insurance.
The fire left the home as a write-off and a number of pet cats perished.
Fire officials say the blaze started because of a cigarette that was dropped on a couch.
Karrie Lepoudre, Disaster Management Co-ordinator for the Red Cross’s North Bay Branch, says three teams were called in to process the victims and get them temporary shelter and food.
She says at this point, the residents are safe and being cared for.
“We provided assistance to thirteen individuals who were displaced and we provided emergency food, housing and clothing as well as transportation from the scene to their hotels. In addition today we provided referrals to different agencies and additional transportation to get them to be able to get new supplies and that sort of thing.”
The residents will be allowed to stay in their temporary situation for 72 hours.
Lepoudre says that can change, if it becomes necessary.
“If something comes up we can extend that if necessary. It’s part of our protocol. Our goal is to within 72 hours work with them and with other agencies to help them become self-sufficient down the road to recovery.”
The real difficulty is trying to find immediate shelter for such a large group of individuals.
At this point, some groups are stepping forward to provide some support.
Jeff Richardson, the owner of the Voyager Hotel, has set up his banquet hall as a hub to take donations of usable items for the fire victims, for whenever they do find a more permanent place.
He began the process with a Facebook page and noticed coverage of the fire. That was when he took action.
“They may not have many possessions to their name and they certainly don’t have extra money to replace these items,” said Richardson.
“I am co-ordinating with other agencies to make sure we are asking for the right items, but we know that it needs to be clean, in nice shape. We don’t want people dropping off stuff that they can’t use.”
Items that can’t be used by the victims will then be donated to the Salvation Army or the Low Income People’s Involvement of Nipissing.
Richardson has opened up a Facebook page click here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/399422290241862/
