Queen Street residents get a helping hand
Evacuated from fire on February 20, 2008

A six-alarm fire forced residents, including Ginger (above), who left with her owner, another dog and a cat, to leave homes above the stores in a block at Queen and Portland Streets on a frigid February morning. But although they were forced to flee, there was somewhere warm and friendly to go. Emergency Planning staff swung into action right away, and with the assistance of a broad section of other City divisions, local charities, and local business people, were able to open a reception centre within hours of the evacuation.

The centre, located in the Trinity Bellwoods Community Centre, was active throughout the day, standing down when all evacuees had been helped. 25 people registered but most were picked up at the Centre by friends or relatives.

The community really came through on this one. St. Christopher House, which operates a drop-in centre at Queen and Bathurst, was used as a command centre for emergency services, while another drop-in centre down the street, St. Stephen's, took the clients from St. Christopher House.

The Fairmont Royal York offered two nights with breakfast to four of the residents that had no other options. The landmark hotel also offered bagged lunches for emergency response personnel. The Parkview Hotel also offered free rooms.

Tim Horton's at Dufferin Mall provided coffee; Clafouti Patisserie donated a big box of pastries; shelter staff from Florence Booth came to help, bringing board games, friendly faces and food. A local vet donated food and services for the pets.

If you would like to help residents who have been affected by the fire, a trust fund has been established to collect donations at all Scotiabank locations across the city starting February 22, 2008. Please specify the Queen Street Fire Fund.

If you were directly affected by the fire, you can find help on this City resource list (PDF).