Montrealers have united in solidarity for the survivors of a deadly fire in Lachine that has orphaned three children, one of whom is also gravely injured. A GoFundMe campaign launched by friends to help cover the children’s basic necessities and their relatives’ funeral costs has almost reached its $15,000 goal, the Montreal Gazette reports.
Over $12,000 has been collected in the last two days.
“We are looking for donations to cover the costs of their funeral and to help her children be provided with the basic necessities that they currently are without. We are also looking for donations of clothes for all of the children, hygiene products /supplies , toys, books and school supplies. All proceeds will be going to the family. We appreciate any donations -nothing is too small,” campaign organizer Charette Jones wrote.
If you can give anything to help the surviving children, head to the GoFundMe page here.
The Gazette reports that firefighters made the rounds in 357 nearby apartments after the tragedy and found that 100 either didn’t have smoke alarms or had removed the battery from theirs after it was set off by kitchen smoke. A spokesperson from the Montreal fired department reminded people that they can install smoke alarms on the wall between 4 and 12 inches from the ceiling if they live in a small apartment. This will prevent the alarm from being triggered by a small amount of kitchen smoke, but it will still go off if there’s a real fire.