‘It’s a neighbourhood. You’ve got to take care of each other’

“I was happy that we were able to help,” said Angie DeSimon, co-founder of Addictions and Mental Health Advocates (AAMHA) located at 133 Gore St. after a fire broke out in a nearby building in the 100 block of Gore Street Saturday.

Occupants of apartments on the building’s second storey were forced to the street below by the fire.

“When we heard there was a fire down there we went down to open our office because we knew that people would be displaced,” DeSimon tells SooToday.

12 people were uprooted as a result of the fire, she said.

“We fed them, gave them snacks and warm clothes. Some of them just came out of the building with sweaters on. We gave them jackets and coats.”

A Sault Transit bus came to collect the building’s residents and with the help of the Red Cross were transported to The Delta for accommodation, DeSimon said.

“They were all standing outside. They had three dogs with them and two cats. We opened our doors, told them to come in and warm up. They came in, we gave them coats, food, sweaters. We even had dog food there and pet food for the cats,” DeSimon said.

AAMHA worked the phones for approximately two hours to assist in finding accommodation for those affected by the fire, DeSimon said.

It is believed the 12 are still at The Delta, she said.

“They are pretty concerned. They don’t know where they’re going to live. We can help them find something. We assist with all kinds of things like housing, resume building, help with income tax, help with getting them ID. It’s a resource centre.” 

AAMHA was established by Angie’s mother Donna DeSimon, the group recently located at 133 Gore St. in the former location of Grocer 4 Good (which has relocated to 147 Gore St.)

“We just knew that we could help them. We had things to offer, we could keep them warm. If we couldn’t have got them lodging we would’ve stayed there with them for the night. It was cold. It was snowing. They had their animals with them. Half of them weren't even wearing jackets. We made the phone calls to get them somewhere to stay.”

“When we found there was a fire right down the street from us I looked at my Mom and I said we should go down there and open our doors and that’s exactly what we did,” DeSimon said.

“It’s a neighbourhood. You’ve got to take care of each other.”

Help provided by staff and volunteers from the Sault's Canadian Red Cross office, based on Trunk Road, has also been considerable.

"In support of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Canadian Red Cross has provided assistance to residents forced from their homes due to a fire on Saturday evening," confirmed Jon Adam, Canadian Red Cross Communications spokesperson.

"Support has included providing registration, meals, clothing and lodging to approximately 12 people. Registrations have now been completed and a Red Cross virtual response team is available to support those affected," Adam said. 

SooToday has reached out to Sault Fire Services and the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service for more information regarding the fire.

More details will be released as they become available.