WINNIPEG -- Around 25 people are without a home after fire destroyed an apartment building on Agnes Street early Thursday morning.
The City of Winnipeg’s emergency social services team and the Canadian Red Cross housed displaced residents in the Marlborough Hotel and the Holiday Inn downtown.
“My suite is completely gone, I lost everything I own,” said James Desjarlais, a resident displaced by the fire told CTV News Friday.
“I just have the clothes that I’m wearing.”
Desjarlais is hoping EIA will help him find a new home.
The Canadian Red Cross housed the displaced residents in the Marlborough Hotel and the Holiday Inn downtown, but the housing isn’t long term.
“72 hours they said,” explained Desjarlais. “By Sunday, 12 p.m. I have to be out of here.”
The Canadian Red Cross said they provide support through their Personal Disaster Assistance program. It’s a 72-hour program designed to help people get through small scale disasters like house fires and apartment fires.
“We’re essentially a transition to help people as they move forward to next steps," said Jason Small, spokesperson for The Canadian Red Cross.
“We’ll work with them and refer them to other programs so they can get the additional help they need.”
The Red Cross said it's supporting a total of 35 people who were affected by the fire; including residents from the apartment and the house next door.
The aftermath of the blaze is still setting in for some.
“I’ve been having my days where I’ve just been crying off and on all day,” said Candace McKay, a displaced resident from the Agnes Street fire. “It’s frustrating, you have nothing.”
“Nobody died, nobody was injured. I’m grateful for that,” said Desjarlais. “It’s just the stress level that we all have to face right now.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Assistant Fire Chief said now that the building is torn down, it’ll be nearly impossible to determine the cause.
