Community league throws potluck for residents displaced by apartment fire
CBC
A community league organized a dinner for displaced residents after a substantial fire damaged an apartment building in Edmonton's west end on Wedesday night.
The fire, which started around 8 p.m., caused significant structural damage to the Erindale building at 9504 182nd St. and left some tenants struggling to get out.
Five people, including a man in critical condition, were taken to hospital after the fire and at least seven tenants were injured.
A spokesperson told CBC that they aren't able to provide an update on people's condition after they get to hospital.
Bill Bowers, president of La Perle Community League, said the league and the wider community wanted to do something for the people who were forced out of their homes by the fire, and one person suggested a big potluck.
"[The situation] is really sad, actually. There are 54 units there and if you consider 54 units and young families and older folks and cats and dogs and all of that, many are displaced," he said Sunday.
"We're hoping tonight will bring them all together and they can have a chance to talk together and have one way of contacting each other."
Bowers said he isn't surprised that something of this scale was organized so quickly.
"The community that we live in is fantastic and people rally as soon as they're called," he said.
"Throughout COVID, throughout life in general, I think people want something to help with ... I can't even count the amount of people online that have offered to help right now. It's very heartwarming to see that and I hope the residents of Erindale feel the love that we feel for them and that we're here to support them."
In terms of ongoing support, Bowers said many people on social media are contacting the community league and asking what they can do to help. But before anything formal was organized, Bowers said the league wanted to check in with people at the dinner to get a better sense of what people actually need.
"With the power of social media, we don't even have to warehouse all this stuff," he said.
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