Canadian Red Cross supports Welland community after a devastating apartment fire

"You never think it will happen to you."

Truer words have never been spoken. Wilhelmina Boden knows first hand that those impossible moments can enter your life at any time. For her, that moment came in the early morning hours on August 10, 2012. That's when Wilhelmina, her husband Steven, and dozens of other residents were evacuated from their Empire Street apartment building after a fire broke out. Still reeling from watching their home go up in smoke, residents were informed it could be upward of six months before they could return.

"We lost everything. We had no insurance," Wilhelmina says, looking down at the floor of her Knights Inn hotel room, where she and her husband have been staying ever since. While thoughts of losing their possessions are certainly saddening to the couple, they feel fortunate. They escaped what could have been a tragic circumstance and did so without injury. They've also found support from various community agencies, support they say they'll be eternally grateful for.

"The Red Cross has been so good to us," Steven says, trying to put into words what help from the organization has meant. The Niagara branch of the humanitarian organization stepped in right after the fire to offer assistance to the residents. For those who had nowhere to go, hotel rooms were provided. Teaming up with Niagara Region, the Red Cross "covered what they could to get us started" by providing gift cards for basic necessities such as clothing and shoes, Wilhelmina says.

"Thank goodness for them. It's beyond words what we owe to the Canadian Red Cross," Wilhelmina says. "Without them, we wouldn't have been able to get through this." She wanted to offer up a "big thank you" to everyone who offered assistance to the displaced group.

Wilhelmina encourages people to donate to the Red Cross, now knowing the extent to which the organization's efforts assist those in the community.

Later that week, the Bodens moved out of the hotel and into a new apartment. It's smaller than what the pair is used to, but in the same building as one of Wilhelmina's daughters. "We lucked out to find something so quickly," she says. The region provided housing for the displaced residents until the end of the month, allowing them time to find alternative arrangements. The Red Cross has been doing what it can to help those in the hotel to find a new place to live, even providing apartment listings on a regular basis.

The building's residents continue to have regular group meetings with the Red Cross, Niagara Regional Police, Niagara Region, Welland Fire and Emergency Services, the building's landlord and local community agencies to keep up to date with the situation.

While the Bodens knew few people in the building when the fire broke out, the group of residents have since become "like a family," bonding over the difficult experience, Steven says. "We all pulled together," he adds, each offering support to one another.

Story and Photo Credit: QMI Agency