Crews in Sackville, N.B., spent Good Friday battling a fire that destroyed a restaurant, engulfed the downtown area in smoke and left four university students and one staff member temporarily homeless.
Photos and videos posted to social media show firefighters hosing down a building on York Street as crowds of people watch.
Numerous community fire departments were at the scene including Sackville, Memramcook, Dorchester and Amherst, just across the Nova Scotia border.
The four university students recalled the morning, saying they first saw smoke come from one of their rooms in the apartment.
Just after 9:00, the students quickly exited the building, on their way out, stopping to grab their laptops with final exam notes and the neighbour’s dog, who wasn’t home at the time.
They weren’t able to get anything else and left in their pyjamas.
“We were prepping for exam time so I went back in to grab my laptop and chargers, I think we thought there was only going to be smoke damage and we would be able to go back in,” said Rachel Carlson.
“If I had’ve known I would have grabbed some clothes.”
The four were given short-term accommodation by Mount Allison University, where they attend class. The school clothed them head to toe with clothing from the school’s bookstore.
A gofundme page has since been set up, and raised nearly $10,000 for them in just 36 hours.
The group, Lauren Steele, Rachel Carlson, Jenna Miler and Lucy Newman, couldn’t fathom the support from the community. They told Global News on Saturday that from the moment they stepped outside, the group started receiving support from the community.
“We were on the street with nothing people were coming up to us asking us if we wanted anything. People in the community brought us over stuff, asking us if we need anything,” Jenna Miler said, continuing to thank the school.
The apartment was situated on top of Joey’s Pizzeria, who took to Facebook with gratitude.
“Our hearts are heavy today. Joey’s has been a landmark of Sackville since 1988, and it’s because of the love and support from the community that we’ve been able to serve you for the past 35 years. We can’t thank everybody enough for all the love and support we’ve continued to receive today,” said the restaurant on Facebook.
“As we navigate this difficult transition one thing is for sure, we will keep the spirit of Joey’s alive as we move forward one day at a time.”
The Sackville Fire Department told Global News that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
There are believed to be no injuries.
— With files from Alex Cooke.
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