Residents struggle after fire forces them from their homes

Dozens of families are struggling to rebuild after a devastating fire destroyed their apartments.

A devastating fire in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood has left dozens without a home.

Families are now grappling with loss, holding on to what little they could save and hoping for help.

For Raven Townsend, it’s seven years of memories up in flames.

“I have so many family photos, photo albums that are very important to me, of children as newborns,” she said.

She lived in the apartment with her partner, two children and four cats.

The fire tore through the Westmore Avenue apartment and forced sixteen households out of their homes.

Townsend says she struggles to wrap her head around what happened, and she’s not alone.

“My six-year-old is a little lost,” she said. “He keeps asking when we’re going home.”

On Tuesday, tenants were allowed back inside to gather what they could.

Some have had their rent reimbursed for the month, a relief for families who lost everything.

When Seidi Mohammed woke up in a smoky bedroom, the mother of three says there was no time to think.

Her daughter, Sophia Abraham, was in school when she saw a video of her building in flames circulating on social media.

“I was so scared. I was in shock,” she said. “I can stop thinking about it. It’s hard to go to school right now.”

Many say, however, that community support is making a difference.

“They all came together to help us,” said Abraham.

There are many hurdles ahead, including finding housing.

“People who are on disability, people who are elderly, people with family, children who lost everything, people who immigrated here who lost their passports and their papers,” said Townsend. “It has displaced a lot of people who are most needing these resources.”