Fire at St. George seniors complex displaces 22 people and a food bank

A fire at a seniors housing complex in St. George has displaced 22 residents and a food bank.

The fire broke out on Sunday morning at the Granite Court building, which is owned by the not-for-profit Atlantic Baptist Housing.

Firefighters responded around 8:00 a.m. and were able to put the fire out and save part of the building. Victor Shea, CEO of Atlantic Baptist Housing, said everyone was evacuated safely.

The building, which is about 70 kilometres west of Saint John, is split into two sections and one was left with more damage from the fire.

Shea said the plan is to move 12 residents back into the part of the building with less damage by the end of the week. 

He said they’ll work with the remaining 10 residents to find temporary housing while staff determine a timeline for repairs.

“These are our people and we're going to care for them and nobody’s going to be on the street after this. We're going to make sure that we do the right thing and do right by our people,” said Shea.

Atlantic Baptist Housing, a not-for-profit organization, owns affordable housing for seniors and long-term care homes that serve over 1,000 seniors in the Maritimes.

Shea said the cause of the fire is still unknown and the blaze has impacted more than his 22 residents.

The complex also housed an optometrist’s office, autism services, the Eastern Charlotte Association for Community Living and the St. George and Area Food Bank.

Tony Munn is the chair of the community living association and is the food bank’s president.

He said the food bank’s stock was destroyed in the fire except for the meat freezers, which have been relocated. Munn estimates that loss is around $75,000.

Munn said the community has stepped in to make up for their losses.

“The community has been great, giving up donations constantly this morning and last night. There's different food drives going on. There's a big food drive going on here Saturday morning,” said Munn.