Tenants at an apartment building in Chatham are hoping to help the family members of a deceased resident following a tragic fire over the weekend.
Chatham-Kent emergency crews were called about a fire at 50 Merritt Avenue at around 4 p.m. Saturday.
Building resident Christa Pare said initially, she didn't think too much of the fire alarm once it started to sound. However, after seeing her neighbours gathered outside, Pare grabbed her cat and went out to join them.
"We walked around the back [of the building] and you could see smoke billowing out of one of the sliding glass doors on the third floor," she said. "You could see [a fireman] in the window and you could see a lot of smoke coming out. It was actually pretty quiet for a fire being in a building."
Pare said she sat outside for a couple of hours before the tenants were allowed back inside of the building.
"It wasn't until later in the night that one of the neighbours told me that [someone] on the third floor had passed away," said Pare. "It was quite an absolute shock."
Pare has only lived at the Skyline Living apartment building for less than two months and didn't know the deceased. However, she said others spoke highly of the person, something that didn't surprise her considering the other residents and staff are very caring.
"Talking with the neighbours [on Saturday] there was an outpouring of love for this [person]," she said.
The identity of the deceased person has not been released. Chatham-Kent police continue to work with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office as the investigation is ongoing.
"We all feel incredible sorrow that this happened in our building," said Pare. "I have only lived here about a month and a half but I realized very quickly that this building is like a family. People are very friendly and will lend a helping hand."
Pare said the community of residents at 50 Merritt Ave. are hoping to help the person's family during this difficult time.
"I felt very helpless as to what could be done surrounding this family in light of this incredible tragedy so I thought a nice, easy way to reach everyone -- not just the people in the building -- is to start a GoFundMe page," she said.
Pare said one of the residents in the building who knew the deceased resident well has been coordinating with the family on what they need during this time and is waiting for their approval before a GoFundMe page is set up.
"We're trying to give them a little bit of breathing space and really the fundraiser doesn't have to start today," said Pare.
Out of respect for the family, Pare said the building managers have decided to not release specific details about the deceased. However, Pare said the assistant manager was more than willing to help in letting others know of current plans to help.
She said they are also waiting for police to release the identity of the person before a GoFundMe page goes public online.
In an emailed statement to Blackburn News, Vice President of Skyline Living BJ Santavy said the company is deeply saddened by the events.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased," said Santavy. "We strongly believe in building healthy and supportive communities at each of our properties. The community at 50 Merritt, including our onsite staff, has really become more like family over the years. In this time of tragedy, it is nice to see the community working together to support each other."