People displaced by a west end fire continue to have a community rallying around them to make sure they have everything they need.
On March 30, fire damaged an Erindale apartment building, causing $9 million in damages and destroying top floor suites.
“It’s been a big adjustment to say the least. Having to start over again, just taking stock, trying to sleep and trying to decide what’s most important right now,” said Jennifer Kotowicz, a resident of that building.
“This is going to be a long journey, a lot of unknowns of what the future holds, but it’s been great having people wanting to help.”
Her apartment was on the fourth floor, she said seeing pictures of what’s left was “intense.”
“Pretty much everything is gone, we can’t expect to get anything back from our suite,” said Kotowicz.
According to Ward Nakota Isga’s councillor, immediately after the fire, the La Perle Community League leapt into action.
“It was no shock to me to me that within hours, essentially, of this fire and learning of it they stepped up and said, ‘Alright, let’s figure out how we can get everyone activated, how we can facilitate donations, how we can make sure those residents are taken care of,’” said Andrew Knack.
“It’s beautiful to see, yet again, how communities come together in the face of tragedy to help each other out.”
The Erindale Apartment Fire Assistance page on Facebook was made to connect residents with people who wanted to help with everything from clothing donations to bicycles.
“I feel overwhelmed trying to show my appreciation to people, I really want to reach out and say a thank you to the community, friends and family,” said Kotowicz.
“We’ve got a whole community of people that are looking at helping,” added Bill Bowers, the president of the La Perle Community League.
“Whether it’s Terra Losa, Belmead, or Aldergrove or La Perle that are willing to help, whatever the cause is.”
Recently, the community league hosted a dinner for residents to connect with each other, giving them a feeling of community and letting them know they are “not alone now.”
“It was good to see people in a different environment… the last time I’d seen them was the night of the fire so when I saw them the night of the dinner, I thought, ‘Good, they’re ok,’” said Kotowicz. “It felt really good to connect with each other that way.”
According to Bowers, they’ve already raised over $1,000 in donations for grocery gift cards. Anyone looking to donate is asked to email the community league.
ETS is also working with Bowers to arrange for transit tickets or passes for displaced residents.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jessica Robb