It’s been a difficult 24 hours for families displaced by a fire at a townhouse complex in Mississauga. Many are now learning it could be months before they can return home.
“We’re lucky we are a little bit further from where the damage started, but it’s unsure because we are not getting a lot of information,” Zainab Khan, a resident of the complex, said while trying to hold back tears. She was displaced along with her two brothers, mother and father.
“We’re just a little bit lost right now because I’m literally in the clothes I had on all day yesterday. I wasn’t able to wash my face, nothing,” Khan said.
Despite the upheaval, Khan hopes her family will continue to be one of the lucky ones. Her dad de ella made a harrowing escape and is thankful to be alive.
“It’s a blessing,” her father said in an emotional response. “I had to run barefoot. I had loose pajamas [on] and and I had to run.”
“It’s very hurtful to throw away a lot of our possessions, because there are a lot of memories in there,” Khan said.
Zainab Khan, a resident of the destroyed Mississauga townhouse complex, stands on the left outside the wreckage. The City of Mississauga said 36 units have been damaged by either fire, water or both.
On Monday, asbestos may have also been found during the investigation. Crews in hazmat suits have been on the scene.
Some residents have been told repairs could take months and to look for other housing.
“I think it’s just been really stressful being displaced,” said resident Josh Dias.
Today, firefighters were able to deliver some important items to families. Pets, wallets and medication were among the belongings retrieved.
Fire officials said with the possible discovery of asbestos residents cannot go inside their units to pick up items or view the damage.
Emergency crew on the scene of a Mississauga townhouse complex fire (CP24).
They said the property company will be contacting residents as to when they may be able to return home.
When firefighters first responded to the townhouse complex on Sunday, they said they found a fire in a pot on a balcony, then noticed more flames on the other side of the building.
“This is a complicated fire because it has a communal atmosphere, which means that the fire can travel very quickly,” said Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi.
Rizzi said nine families registered with the Canadian Red Cross because they did not have food, shelter, clothing or medication.
The Fire Chief said the investigation to determine the origin and cause of the fire will be lengthy.