It’s hard to believe no one was hurt in Thursday’s devastating apartment fire in Shediac, N.B., but dozens have been left homeless and are now trying to figure out what’s next. Grace Crawford was home with her two-year-old daughter when she heard the alarm go off at 4 a.m. She immediately smelled smoke and ran into her daughter’s room. “She was still sleeping through the alarm and I woke her up. She started to cry, I was crying. Wrapped her in a blanket, grabbed my keys and ran out the door. No wallet. Nothing. No shoes for her, nothing. I didn’t even have time to put her in a car seat because the building was so on fire. I threw her on my lap in the car and we drove away,” said Grace. The early morning fire destroyed the 36-unit building on Cornwall Street near the town’s Canadian Tire. Everyone was able to get out safely, but it’s estimated 50 people are now left without a home. Grace said her daughter is doing fine and she’s trying to keep her routine. “She didn’t even have a lunchbox to go to daycare or a coat or boots or anything to start with. It’s been rough. But daycares have been helping us,” said Grace. Grace’s husband Tim returned from his job in Fort McMurray, Alta., as soon as he could. “I just landed this morning,” said Tim. “To come home to see this isn’t quite what I expected. But, on a good note, seeing the community come together so far has been amazing.” The young family will stay with Grace’s parents in Shediac for now until they find a new place to live. It’s been tough for Marcia Yanson and her family, too. “We tried to get some sleep, so maybe we got an hour of sleep. Yesterday, it didn’t really kick in but when we woke up this morning that’s when we felt, ‘Oh, we’re not on vacation,’” said Yanson. “Life should move on for us. It’s still tough, but we’ll take it one day at a time.” In a Facebook message posted Friday, the Town of Shediac thanked many businesses who offered support to the building’s residents, including Hotel Shediac which turned one of its meeting rooms into a makeshift donation centre for clothing, footwear, kitchen supplies and toiletries. Yanson and her family stopped by the hotel to pick up some items as they tried to find a new place to live. “We walked in and ladies, gentlemen that are helping, we cried. We are overwhelmed for the kindness that they showed. The support we get from this small community, but loving community and very kind,” said Yanson. Manjid Singh and Baljeet Kaur had only lived in the building for six months. “We are still in shock. We are trying to process what exactly happened,” said Kaur. “Nobody can predict that.” They, too, stopped by the hotel to pick up a handful of things. “Whatever we have, it’s gone. In one night. So, we don’t know what to do now,” said Singh. Hotel Shediac co-owner Jenny Guidry said they had to stop accepting donations by mid-morning because volunteers ran out of space to display items. “It’s amazing. People are coming from all over. We’re very overwhelmed with all the love and donations,” said Guidry. She thanked her volunteers and made sure residents who did come in know that they are more than welcome to come back again. CTV News has reached out to New Brunswick’s fire marshal to see if a cause has been determined. They have yet to respond. The investigation remains ongoing. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
