'We just lost everything': Quail Ridge Apartment residents trying to restart after fire
Several Winnipeg families are looking to rebuild their lives after an apartment fire Friday evening left them with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Quail Ridge Apartment Homes in the St. James area is considered a complete loss after a blaze ripped through the building. Up to 180 people called the apartment complex home and are now left with nothing.
"We just lost everything on Friday. We don't have home insurance. We ran a home business. It ruined everything for us," said Kim Laviolette, who lived on the second floor.
Tenants like Laviolette and Matthew Hicks have been told by the complex's management that everything in their suites and more than 40 others is likely gone.
"We've been having false alarm after false alarm and my wife was thinking maybe this was just another false alarm," said Hicks.
"Your belongings are gone. Everything's gone because of water damage and fire damage."
Several people who lived in the building told CTV News they didn't have tenants insurance and are now staying with family, relying on donated food, money and clothing.
The Canadian Red Cross was dispatched to help. Around 20 people were given meals and a hotel to stay in, while others who had a place to stay were also given food.
The Red Cross' agreement with the city is to support people for the first 72 hours after a disaster and it says in this case, at the request of the city, the support has been extended for some families.
The city says the cause of the fire is still under investigation and the building has been turned over to management, who would now be working with their insurers.
CTV News Winnipeg has reached to the management company for comment but has yet to hear back. Former residents said they're hoping to get in this week for a few hours to see if anything is salvageable, but the building needs to be deemed safe before they are allowed to go in.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Engaged couple shot dead fleeing landlord after house dispute near Hamilton, Ont., police say
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.

Farmers in Atlantic Canada battling 'abnormally dry' conditions, fearing continued drought
Farmers in Atlantic Canada are growing increasingly worried about drought, as many regions on the east coast have been classified as drier than usual for this time of year, with little rain in the forecast.
Venice authorities investigate after canal turns fluorescent green
Venetian authorities are investigating after a patch of fluorescent green water appeared in the famed Grand Canal on Sunday morning.
Turkiye's Erdogan wins 5th term as president, extending rule into 3rd decade
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade in a country reeling from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that levelled entire cities.
Economy, health care, trust: Alberta election campaign hits final day before vote
Both Smith and Notley agree the vote will be one of the most consequential in decades, featuring two leaders in their 50s who have been both premier and Opposition leader.
Fight still ahead for Texas' Ken Paxton after historic impeachment deepens GOP divisions
The historic impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was just the first round of a Republican brawl over whether to banish one of their own in America's biggest red state after years of criminal accusations.
Blais scores twice, Canada beats Germany 5-2 to win gold at men's hockey worlds
Samuel Blais scored two goals to rally Canada to a 5-2 victory over Germany in the final of the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.
Jan. 6 rioters are raking in thousands in donations. Now the U.S. is coming after their haul
Less than two months after he pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol, Texas resident Daniel Goodwyn appeared on Tucker Carlson's then-Fox News show and promoted a website where supporters could donate money to Goodwyn and other rioters whom the site called 'political prisoners.'
3-year-old boy dies after drowning in backyard pool west of Toronto
Police are investigating the death of a three-year-old boy who was pulled from a backyard pool in Oakville on Saturday.