Savannah Wenzel holds up bottle donations at the Bottles for Bridge Street event. The event raises money for the families affected by the four-plex fire on Wednesday( Tiffany Goodwein /CHATNEWSToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Bottles for Bridge Street raises money for fire-displaced families

Apr 24, 2021 | 5:28 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- It was a fire that gutted a fourplex earlier this week, and it’s aftermath left four families displaced from their homes on Bridge Street. Now, members of the community have stepped up to ensure the families feel supported as they begin to pick up the pieces amid the tragedy.

Situated outside Engaging Minds For Learning, on Dunmore Road, was a recycle truck, with the name Bottles on Bridge Street inscribed on a piece of orange poster board.

Collecting bags of bottles was Savannah Wenzel, a young woman who knew two of the families that lived in the fourplex.

“ I’ve just always wanted to help the community. People in the community have been good when I’ve been in need and we just wanted to help,” Wenzel said.

She also got to know a third family whose suite was completely destroyed by the blaze.

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“They lost everything in that fire, unfortunately, and insurance and stuff like that take time, things have to be investigated. They are right now staying in a hotel. It’s a mother and daughter. The daughter is in her 50’s and the mother is in her 70’s, so I mean its hard, and I’ve spoken to them the past couple of days to just see what they need for community support,” she said.

The mother and daughter are still shaken, according to Wenzel. She received their permission to speak to CHAT NEWS on their behalf.

According to Wenzel, the fire Wednesday was believed to have ignited from a cigarette butt that was discarded in a flower pot full of dirt.

“ They would like people to know that there needs to be more awareness around that situation. It’s not just your smoke alarms that we need awareness about, it is overall fire safety, and what to do with your cigarette butts,” she said.

CHAT NEWS reached out to the Medicine Hat Fire Service for official confirmation, and are awaiting comment.

Meantime, support for the families has been pouring in.

GoFundMe pages for two of the families have already exceeded the $2500 mark.

Support for Bottles for Bridge Street has also been outstanding, according to Wenzel.

“ We’ve been collecting bottles in my garage throughout the week and it’s full, it’s done great. The families that are in need are extremely grateful for it,” Wenzel said.

Once the weekend bottle drive was made known, businesses like Engaging Minds for Learning, and Remember When Retro Toys Candy and More, stepped up to help, providing a space to park the truck, provided by Redcliff Bottle Depot, and supplying popcorn for proceeds.

“We need to come together as a community, and it is kids and Engaging Minds For Learning and Remember When we like to support kids, whether it’s the schools, the daycares, kids in general, just kids we want to support them,” owner Sandra VanVliet said

The bottle drive runs from 11a.m. to 7 p.m.

The amount of money raised from the bottle drive is yet to be determined, but Wenzel estimates that they have already managed to raise a few hundred dollars.