In aftermath of fire, an urge to help
A fundraiser has been set up to support the 22 people who lost their homes and most of their personal belongings after fire broke out in a Cook Street apartment building early Wednesday.
Most of the tenants’ clothes, furniture and personal items were destroyed as a result of smoke, water damage and the presence of asbestos in the early 20th-century building at 1021 Cook St.
Mary Rubin learned from a Facebook post that her friend Betsy Frost and Frost’s partner, Jeff, had been made homeless because of the fire, which the Victoria Fire Department said was caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette.
The building was evacuated after the fire broke out about 3:30 a.m., but residents were allowed to go back in later in the day to retrieve some belongings.
Frost found her windows smashed out and her phone charger melted to the wall, Rubin said. The photographer had just moved items from her studio into the apartment with the aim of working from home.
“They have a huge collection of irreplaceable items, books and comics books and vintage toys and all those things you can’t replace,” Rubin said.
“It must have been so hard to go in and see those things and leave them behind.”
All the tenants are being housed at the Capital City Centre Hotel for three nights and are receiving assistance from Emergency Social Services.
“After the 72 hours, everyone is on their own, which broke my heart,” Rubin said.
Rubin decided to set up a Go Fund Me online fundraiser to help the building residents get back on their feet.
She’s in the process of collecting clothes and small items, which are piled up in her bachelor apartment.
“My kitchen is filled with donations right now,” she said.
“Everything that’s being donated will be offered to everyone in the building.”
Rubin has been overwhelmed with the generosity.
“I’ve had such a great response,” she said.
Victoria Fire Insp. Steve Meikle, assistant chief of fire prevention, said an improperly discarded cigarette ignited a pile of garbage in the building’s “light well,” a vertical shaft that lets in natural light. The fire spread to the walls and to the roof. Firefighters had to pull many walls apart to extinguish all the hot spots.
Meikle said he talked to at least two tenants who did not have insurance.
He said he feels for the tenants who will be looking for a new place to live in a city with one of the tightest rental markets in Canada.
“We’re at 0.6 per cent vacancy rate and then this happens.”
Third-floor resident Ryan Grifone said his girlfriend, Jenna Pybus, woke up to the smell of smoke about 3:30 a.m. She looked out her bathroom window and saw flames, so the two ran into the hallway and pulled the fire alarm.
Grifone credits the Victoria Fire Department for arriving quickly and minimizing fire damage.
The pair were able to quickly grab some sentimental items from their apartment on Wednesday.
They have been staying with friends but are daunted by the thought of looking for a one-bedroom apartment, as they will have to pay more than their current rent, which is less than $1,000 a month.
“I’ve had friends move recently and I said: ‘I’d hate to have to move right now in this rental market,’ ” Grifone said.
• To donate, go to gofundme.com/fireon-cook-street-recovery-fund