Red Cross closes shelter set up after Dartmouth fire

The Canadian Red Cross has closed its shelter for tenants displaced by a weekend fire at a Dartmouth apartment building.

The agency said the shelter closed at 5 p.m. after the property managers for the building worked out an arrangement that will see students residences at Dalhousie made available for the short term.

One person was killed in the fire, and more than 100 were forced from their homes. The building remains closed while investigators look into the cause, and because of damage from the fire and the cutting of utilities to the structure.

A shelter for pets of tenants displaced remained open Tuesday night.

Catherine Stevens with the Disaster Animal Response Team of Nova Scotia said there were still 12 cats at the shelter it set up, of 14 originally brought in by tenants. There had initially been 15 pets there, including one dog.

DART works with the Red Cross, and is called when the aid group sets up a shelter following incidents like the fire.

She said residents are given opportunities to visit the pets, “because they will provide the best source of comfort.”

A vet is part of the team and checks over the animals that are brought in to the shelter, providing any treatment needed. The organization also provides kits for animals containing things like donated food, toys, carriers and blankets.

“If there are any issues, he has to sign off on them and clear them to leave the shelter,” Stevens said.

She said DART would normally shut down the shelter when the Red Cross packs up, but “we are now providing, at the request of the building owners, temporary shelter for these cats. We’re just waiting to see what that looks like.”