Helping hands reach out after fire rips through Calgary condo complex

CALGARY (NEWS 1130) — After a fire tore through a condo complex in the southwest Calgary community of Bankview, Calgarians didn’t waste any time offering help.

The 3-alarm fire started on the fifth level of the complex and forced out those that lived in its 56 units.

Some who were home at the time of the fire had a small window to grab things on their way out but for a good chunk people living in the building, they had to leave everything behind.

Not long after the fire sparked, people across social media began offering their helping hand, especially on this Reddit thread where people were quick to offer everything they could.

“A place to stay if they need, I have an extra room, they can come stay free of charge,” Chelsea Knowles who chimed in on that Reddit thread said. “I have clothes I can donate, whether I can start up some sort of cash fund for them.”

Other Redditors echoed Knowles’ words, offering up a place to stay, food, clothes, and even a seat at the table for Christmas dinner if they want.

Red Tree Custom Homes, a local home building company also chimed in on Instagram, offering up three readily available homes for families to stay in, in the meantime. Even offering to help furnish the home and put up a Christmas tree to make them feel comfortable.

The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) sent out an update Saturday afternoon saying after battling through the night, the fire was finally under control in the morning.

The update goes on to say that people living in the complex are encouraged to contact their property manager to set up an escorted entry to retrieve any personal items they may need.

No injuries were reported from the incident.

As for animals, CFD said in the note that one dog and six cats were rescued from the building and taken to a nearby vet clinic. All except one cat taken to the clinic had been returned to their owners.