Animals found safe after Massey Manor fire

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/05/2018 (2695 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly 20 animals from the Massey Manor building have been safely found after residents were forced to leave the apartment on Saturday because of a fire.

The volunteer Facebook group Brandon and Area Lost Animals said with the help of Brandon firefighters and animal control officers, all of the animals from Massey that were reported missing have been located.

“Several residents of Massey Manor weren’t able to get their pets out before the evacuation,” BALA, which has more than 7,000 followers on Facebook, said in a statement.

“Children, who were experiencing terrible loss, didn’t know if their pets had suffered or were still suffering. It was a heartbreaking and traumatic. We hope the happiness of being reunited with their pets minimized the loss they have experienced.”

Monique Ward was one of those residents who had lost her cat, Squid, a rescue she adopted nearly two years ago.

After reaching out to BALA, Ward said she heard back on Sunday afternoon after Squid was found on 14th Street near St. Matthew’s Cathedral.

“(I’m) happy that everything might be destroyed in our apartment, but our family is here,” she said.

Heather Thomas, a volunteer with BALA, said most of the animals were cats, although two dogs and a few gerbils and hamsters were also recovered.

As of Monday, Thomas said the group was still waiting to confirm if a couple of gerbils were still in the building.

“This was completely uncharted territory,” she said. “We’re used to people messaging us on a daily basis — we get animals all the time that go missing and are found — but never during a disaster or a large-scale operation like this, so this is a complete learning situation for us.”

A lot of the animals were therapy dogs, Thomas said, which made dealing with the situation that much harder.

But getting the chance to reunite people with their animals made it all worth it, she said.

“It was definitely a group effort, everyone had to play a part and they all did their jobs.”

BALA accepts donations, including pet food and supplies, through its Facebook page. Anyone wishing to make a financial contribution can email baladonations@gmail.com.

» mlee@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @mtaylorlee