Mom, young kids hit hard by fire

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This article was published 09/10/2014 (4196 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An apartment fire last Wednesday has turned a Brandon family’s life upside down.

Jessica Chartier was on her way to pick up her four-year-old daughter Melaina for lunch from Riverheights School when she noticed flashing lights on the road ahead.

Expecting to see a minor fender-bender, Chartier, who had her two-year-old son Colton in the back seat, couldn’t believe her eyes when she managed to navigate through the lineup of cars.

Her home was on fire.

The blaze, which she was told was started by a ceiling fan in the second-floor bathroom, damaged all of the children’s clothing and furniture.

Without a place to stay, Chartier was grateful that her ex, who lives in Wawanesa, took them in.

“It’s been really intense,” she said. “I think I’m still in shock.”

Clothes, bedding and toys were destroyed by smoke.

While the last week has been difficult, Chartier is happy that no one was hurt in the fire, which started at approximately 11:35 a.m.

She said things could have been worse if it had happened during the night as all of the bedrooms in the Victoria Woods apartment are on the second floor.

“It’s just stuff,” she said.

Originally from Winnipeg, Chartier can’t believe how generous people have been toward her family.

The mother of one of her daughter’s friends bought the kids some new clothes and toys.

“It’s been overwhelming the people that have helped,” Chartier said.

Now, her biggest concern is finding a suitable home for the family after being told it could take up to eight months to fix the apartment she was renting.

Chartier said it’s difficult to find a place to rent on such short notice in Brandon.

“The toughest part is not having our own home and that stability for the kids.”

Adding to her stress was a suggestion from a teacher at Riverheights School that she might be forced to change her daughter’s school because she is no longer living in the catchment area.

“She just lost all of her things and her home — I don’t want her to lose her friends, too,” Chartier said.

An official with the Brandon School Division said there have been no inquiries into Chartier’s situation.

Meanwhile, an official with the Office of the Fire Commissioner confirmed the fire was due to an electrical failure in a bathroom ceiling fan and stressed the importance of having working smoke detectors in the home.

“They should be tested every month,” the official said. “While no one was home at the time of this fire, the unit did have working smoke detectors.”

Damage to the apartment was estimated at $250,000.

Ron Funk, a property manager with Winpark Dorchester Properties that oversees Victoria Woods, said Chartier can choose to opt out of the existing lease or wait until the unit is repaired. At the moment there are no other vacancies in the block.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, worried that the fan that malfunctioned in Chartier’s apartment is the same fan installed in her apartment.

Funk said Victoria Woods was built in stages and some fans have already been changed out.

“If there is a problem with any of the operation of the units or electrical or plumbing issues, it is up to the tenant to let us know and we’ll fix it right away,” Funk said.

“If something isn’t operating properly, all they have to do is contact the resident manager and usually the same day, they’ll come and look at it and if required, it will be fixed or replaced depending on the need.”

Anyone wishing to help the family can leave donations at Heritage Salon.

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