Donations start to pour in for people displaced by Charlottetown apartment building fire
P.E.I. residents, businesses collect food, clothing, furniture and pet supplies after Elena Court blaze
Prince Edward Islanders and the local business community are now stepping up to help the people displaced by a fire that destroyed a Charlottetown apartment building overnight Monday.
Around 40 tenants lost many of their belongings in the fire that levelled the complex at 6 Elena Court, near the intersection of the bypass highway and St. Peters Road in East Royalty.
From food, clothing and small furniture items to pet supplies and storage space, several P.E.I. businesses are now trying to fill some of the gaps until the affected residents can find places to stay and start to rebuild their lives.
Erika Harvey lives in a different building on Elena Court. She works for the Stratford auto shop JustJoes, which owner Joe Sawler allowed her to use as a drop-off point for donations.
Harvey said losing her home to a fire is her worst fear, and she would want someone to help her if she was in the same situation.
"These are my neighbours," she said. "It just broke my heart."
Harvey said the community response has been strong and there have been a lot of donations already.
U-Haul in Charlottetown has volunteered a storage unit to hold the donated items. The company said it would open a second locker if the first one fills up.
The unit will be open, so affected residents can stop by and take what they need with no questions asked.
"This morning's been a little bit crazy. Joe's office is getting smaller by the minute," Harvey said.
"It's very P.E.I."
Harvey hopes the apartment building's landlord or the affected residents will reach out to talk about any specific items they need.
Helping displaced pets
Colin Scales, owner of Blue Ribbon Pet Supply in Charlottetown,also wanted to help the tenants and some of their four-legged companions.
The apartments in 6 Elena Court were pet-friendly, so Blue Ribbon has donated supplies to four dog owners and a few cat owners so far.
He also sent cat food and litter boxes to the U-Haul storage unit, and his shop in Charlottetown has dog food, treats and toys available.
"A lot of people have reached out, actually for their friends and family members," Scales said. "So I think some [tenants] are still kinda nervous and not sure what to do yet."
Scales said his business "always has money set aside for things like this," and his first thought after hearing about the fire was "how can I help?"
The Red Cross has provided the displaced residents with places to stay, food and clothing for up to 72 hours.
There's no update on the cause of the fire.
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With files from Stacey Janzer