Tenants leave in a hurry following early morning fire in the Flats

Units from all three Medicine Hat Fire stations were called to the blaze.

The fire started on the outside of one of the back units.

Jennessa Kozinski lived beside the burned suite.

She moved there just one week ago.

She and her two young children were sleeping but her friend who was awake heard a commotion next door late that night.

“He heard people outside say hopefully there’s no one inside and then he jumped out of bed, looked outside, and saw flames. So he started yelling to get out of the house and get the kids out. I grabbed my son and he grabbed my daughter, we came outside and I looked over and there were flames right beside the door, I was panicking, freaking out, and it took off from there,” Kozinski told Chat News.

Kozinski and her kids left in a hurry. Neighbours brought blankets, snacks for the kids, water, and shoes. The three are now staying with friends. Her son will be six in June and her daughter is four years old.

This afternoon, Kozinski went back to her suite to see what belongings they could take. Some items are salvageable, but there is smoke damage.

Her friend Savannah Wenzel set up a GoFundMe page to help them get by in the meantime, while insurance claims and investigations are underway.

“We set up a GoFundMe just to kind of get the things that had smoke damage to get her restarted again. It’s hard when you’re a single mom and you don’t have much and she just started a new job again. And getting back on her feet and now for a second time within a two-week span,” Wenzel added.

A bottle drive is also planned for Saturday (Apr.24) to support all four families.

They thank the community for the support.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

by Chantal Wagner

Tenants leave in a hurry following early morning fire in the Flats

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