Elliot Lake residents left homeless after a fire destroys an apartment building
The city’s director of emergency services says the building had 24 units
A fire on Thursday in Elliot Lake, a city, about 90 minutes west of Sudbury, destroyed a 24-unit apartment building, but all of the tenants were able to get out safely, according to the city's director of emergency services.
John Thomas said firefighters also rescued five pets from the building, located on Hirshhorn Avenue, but one could not be saved. He said two firefighters were sent to the local hospital with minor injuries.
By Friday morning, firefighters were still on the scene.
"We had to get an excavator in to knock down the building due to the extreme damage that was done and to make it safe for firefighters to continue to extinguish the hotspots," Thomas said.
He said most of the building's tenants are staying at a local hotel, and a local charity is helping take care of some of the rescued pets.
Carol Hughes, the MP for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, said the community is devastated by the fire.
"These people who are affected have lost everything that they've had," she said.
"I saw where someone just came out with some sandals, didn't have any shoes. They don't have any clothes. But the community is reaching out."
Hughes said many of the building's tenants were low-income and she worries they might have trouble finding new affordable apartments due to a housing shortage.
"We know that trying to find apartments, especially for those who are living on a low income," she said.