Tenants Given Access To Burned La Ronge Apartments

Tenants Given Access To Burned La Ronge Apartments

Friday, May 29, 2009 at 15:39

 

 

The displaced tenants of a La Ronge apartment building that was the scene of a deadly fire earlier this week are finally being allowed into the building to retrieve their belongings.

 

The scene has been cordoned off by the RCMP since early Tuesday morning.

 

But as of 3:00 this afternoon, the roughly 100 tenants who live there are being escorted into the building to remove all their belongings in order to allow cleaners to do their work.

 

Local crisis workers say the tenants have until 6:00 p.m Sunday to clear their apartments, which is why they have issued a call for volunteers, vehicles, boxes and storage space.

 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Services, local governments and community agencies say none of the tenants of Lakeview Apartments in La Ronge will be left without a place to stay.

 

Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson says a meeting was held yesterday with tenants from the building.

 

Cook-Searson says tenants were assured that Social Services will cover all their living costs for the next two weeks, regardless if they are on social assistance or not. This includes hotel, food and laundry costs.

 

She also stresses that tenants who are not on assistance must register with Social Services in La Ronge in order to receive the help — and at last word, there were still five or six families who hadn’t yet registered.

 

Cook-Searson adds there has been a great deal of community support, both for the families of the victims and for the other residents of Lakeview.

 

The fire claimed the lives of four-month-old Jeremy Charles, his 20-year-old father, Justin Paul Charles, and his 19-year-old mother, Marsha McKenzie.