A community north of Edmonton is stepping up to help after several people were displaced following a fire at a hotel in Morinville on Sunday night.
RCMP said firefighters were called to the blaze at the Morinville Plaza Hotel and Suites in the area of 102 Street and 100 Avenue at around 8:20 p.m. Sunday.
The hotel serves as a low-income housing residence for people in the community.
Police said the fire initially appeared to be centred around a second-storey suite. Police and fire crews evacuated the building and RCMP said no injuries were reported at the scene.
A number of community members were at the local legion on Sunday, working on their annual poppy campaign, when they heard about the fire.
“We rolled up to the fire trucks at the scene at that time. There was just smoke, we didn’t see any flames,” said Michael Adams, first vice president of the legion. “We were wondering, did everybody get out? That was our main concern.”
“It looked to be quite bad because there was quite a bit of smoke coming out of the building and the windows,” added Carol Gabriel, an off-duty advanced care paramedic who also went to the scene from the legion to assist where she could.
Adams served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 25 years and instantly felt the need to help.
“The flames started and we got into a little bit of reactionary mode of: OK, now there’s going to be displaced people, there’s going to be some victims. Let’s open the legion here in Morinville and let’s get people warmth, because it was chilly last night. Actually, it was just downright cold.”
“We knew that it was going to be pretty desperate for these residents, that they wouldn’t be able to get back into their homes that night, and we just felt the need to let them know that they weren’t going to be left behind and we were there to help them and support them as best as we could,” Gabriel said.
The community jumped into action. Adams said the local Sobeys, Tim Hortons and Coach’s Corner Sports Bar & Grill were quick to offer food and drinks.
“I’m sure the shock was still with them so we were just trying to do what we can to support these guys and keep them warm at that time,” Adams said.
Gabriel said she connected with police and EMS crews on scene and offered to help assess people coming into the legion. More than 20 people came to the legion for warmth, something to eat and other assistance.
“There were several people that did have quite a bit of smoke inhalation, people that were up on the second floor where the fire had come out. On my assessment, though, they were doing pretty good respiratory-wise. There was just two that I was kind of concerned about and I did have one of the paramedics come over to assess,” Gabriel explained.
“I could tell there was a lot of anxiety, which is to be expected in that kind of a situation. There was a lot of people that were feeling quite desperate for information because a lot of them had pets that they hadn’t been able to find,” Gabriel said. “It was a pretty dire situation.”
A computer station was set up for people who weren’t able to grab their cellphones so they could get in touch with their family members.
Adams said they helped people out until about 2:30 a.m. Monday when other accommodations were set up by the Red Cross.
By Monday morning, the building appeared to be nothing but a pile of snowy rubble.
Adams said the need now shifts to helping the displaced residents in the longer term.
“Where do they go? They’re living in low-income housing. Where do they go from here? Our biggest push right now is to make sure they get clothing. We watched people come out of that building just in housecoats and slippers. So they have no clothing, no ID, nothing. Everything is gone,” he said.
“Now my concern is going to be, how do we outfit these people to survive the elements of this winter?”
The legion has started collecting donations for the residents. Adams said they will organize everything that comes in and ensure those displaced from the fire get the warm clothing and other items they need.
“Get what you need, get what you want. I can’t hook them up with housing, that’s not my sale, so my thing is to make sure they have some clothing to stay warm, some blankets to stay warm, all the creature comforts that they don’t have right now.”
Both Adams and Gabriel said they did what they could in a time of need.
“We react to the scene that we have. That could have turned into a mass casualty event real quick and thankfully it didn’t,” Adams said. “It filled my heart full of gratefulness. We posted on our page our thank yous and how proud we are of our legion and our community for stepping up in a way to support 27 victims that were displaced immediately. So that just rang true to my heart and I’m thankful that I’m actually living here.”
“It’s quite heartbreaking and it’s very hard to just sit by and watch and be completely helpless,” Gabriel said. “There’s not even a hesitation. We all just step up. We all want to help. We all want to be there to do the best that we can and to encourage and to support.”
The cause of the fire is not known.
“There is no suspicious activity related to this incident,” RCMP said.
Police said businesses attached to the hotel would be assessed on Monday.
Morinville is located about 30 kilometres north of Edmonton.
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