Outpouring of generosity towards those affected by a fire in Edmundston

The fire that pushed 11 people onto the street Saturday evening shook the Edmundston community. Many citizens responded to the call to help a family and students who lost everything.

Lisa LeVasseur is the owner of the building that was engulfed in flames. She is saddened to see her tenants going through these difficult times. A family of five had lived there for about five years, as well as six students from the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) and young workers for several years.

She explains that the population quickly wanted to help the victims, thanks to social networks.

The population is very, very supportive, very mobilized. We receive a lot of messages for offers of help, offers of clothing from community organizations in the region, so I think everyone is very involved.she said.

Finding a home for the family

It’s very difficult to relocate peoplesaid Lisa LeVasseur, adding that she believes that places have been found to house students and young workers.

But for the family of five, we are still trying to find an affordable solution, in the midst of a housing shortage.

For the young family, this is where we especially want to place the emphasis on hurrying to find them something quickly so that they can regain stability.

The population is involved, mobilized, but the urgency to act is really to find a roof for the family.

The daycare the children attend also wanted to do its part. Donations have been collected and it is time to assess the needs for the coming weeks. A crowdfunding campaign will also be launched, adds Lisa LeVasseur.

Help a colleague

The father of this family works at the Edmundston campus of the CCNB.

Obviously, this particularly affects ussays Cyrille Simard, vice-president of development for the CCNB in ​​Edmundston.

In addition to a colleague, the fire affected CCNB students and this community is trying to help, explains Cyrille Simard, who also testifies to the outpouring of generosity from the population in the last few days.

It spread through the community like wildfire and people quickly mobilized around this issue.he said.

He says several people have sent messages saying they could donate items like furniture and personal belongings.

We have just celebrated the New Year, we say ‘happy new year’ to everyone and there, people find themselves on the street, it touches the heart of the community.

It is indeed very, very beautiful to see. It opens the year in a sad way, but on the other hand, there is a positive aspect of seeing this solidarity expressed so quickly.

At this time, a cooking fire appears to be the cause of the fire, but an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.

With information from Allyson Dubé and the show The morning