North Battleford, Sask. woman looking forward to new home after devastating apartment fire
Just over two weeks after a devastating fire at a North Battleford apartment, residents are trying to pick up the pieces.
The images of the fire are etched in the mind of LesleyaAnn Moosomin who rushed her family of six out of their apartment just before 1 a.m. Jan. 3.
“We just had to get out. The smoke was just too quick,” Moosomin told CTV News.
Her apartment was one of the closest to where the fire started. They smelled smoke first.
“There was no time to grab anything. We had to take my grandson out in his diaper,” Moosomin said.
The two-bedroom suite they lived in, a home Moosomin made for her two daughters, son-in-law and two grandchildren was tough to abandon.
“It’s just heartbreaking. It’s a big loss to me,” she said.
LesleyaAnn Moosomin and her family learned this week they have somewhere to live after their apartment building burned down. (Submitted photo)
They first stayed in a motel then stayed with people they knew. She’s grateful for all the help, but scrambling to find a permanent home has been a challenge.
“Because it's so cold, the family and friends do have full houses as well. We tried to call shelters in North Battleford and Saskatoon. They were all too full,” she said.
The Red Cross was one of the first organizations on the scene to help residents. The Salvation Army also played a role in finding homes for families and getting them basic supplies like clothing. Maj. Al Hoeft said it was a true testament to preparedness.
“It was great to see everybody’s needs were met. That there was nobody who would fall through the cracks,” Hoeft told CTV News.
Moosomin learned this week they have secured a place to live in Saskatoon. She's looking forward to new surroundings so she doesn’t have to relive the pain of losing so much.
“It’s just too traumatizing to just see the building not there anymore because it was our home. My late mom’s pictures and paintings were in there.”
Moosomin was happy to sell her car the day before the fire, but she had the cash sitting in her apartment and was lost in the fire. The landlord did return their damage deposit which has gone to buy food for her family.
Now with a new home on the horizon, she will stay strong for her family. Her youngest daughter wakes up in the night seeing the flames, she said.
RCMP were dispatched to a “fully engulfed” apartment building fire Monday around 1:25 a.m. on the 1400 block of 102nd Street in North Battleford. (Mark A Parenteau/Facebook)
In a statement to CTV News, the Battlefords Housing Authority said some vacancies are available and it encourages people in need to consider applying.
"The Battlefords Housing Authority engaged with impacted individuals, hosting in-person sessions to provide more information, and they continue to be welcome to call or visit our office at 831 – 104th Street in North Battleford. We are available to answer any questions, or provide support with applications," the statement said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim downing U.S. Reaper drone, release footage showing wreckage of aircraft
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.