'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
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.