Event honours White Rock firefighters and residents for helping more than 100 evacuees
The B.C. Catholic
White Rock residents rallied together six weeks after an apartment fire left more than 100 of their neighbours homeless.
A large crowd gathered in the Star of the Sea Church parking lot June 29 to celebrate the ways their community has come closer.
“It was a concerted effort to try to give thanks to the first responders for the sake of the needs of the community that was in crisis,” said pastor Father Glenn Dion.
The event was also held to thank parishioners and other residents who raised funds and donated food and clothing to people who were suddenly evacuated 5 a.m. on the day of the fire, May 15.
“They really got out of there with only the clothes on their backs,” said Mayor Wayne Baldwin.
“The community really galvanized around the event,” immediately offering food, blankets, clothing, and temporary places to stay as firefighters battled the blaze.
“People are really very generous. The churches in particular have been doing a great job pulling things together and offering places for people to store furniture.”
Baldwin said a crowd funding campaign and other community fundraisers collected about $110,000 to help displaced residents. Firefighters also went above and beyond the call of duty to help people who had lost much in the fire. “They were surprisingly upbeat.”
After they had put out the blaze, they asked evacuees for room numbers and offered to go back to collect essential items such as medicines, eyeglasses, and hearing aids.
Baldwin said one man asked firefighters to retrieve his prized whiskey collection. When they did, he gave a bottle to the fire department as a thank-you.
The community “went way above and beyond what would be expected,” he said.
Parishioner Greg Egan and other members of the Knights of Columbus flipped burgers and served snacks for about 150 people at the community event.
“It was a joint effort trying to just say thank you.” He said at least one parishioner lived in the now-destroyed apartment complex.
The church hall also sustained some smoke, water, and heat damage.
Father Dion said the fire happened early in the morning on Pentecost Sunday.
“The fire represents not only disaster, but also the fire of the love of the Spirit of Christ … Who emboldens others, like the firefighters who have a mandate to love, serve, and guard.”
He read aloud a letter from Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, who told the community that it was “an encouraging sign of hope” that they could come together in generosity. He assured them of his prayers.
Baldwin said it would take about two years for the burned complex to be rebuilt.
