Montgomery residents face tough holiday season after fire destroys townhouses
Ava Berry was facing an "almost impossible" holiday season after losing her home to a fire earlier this week but things are looking up thanks to the generosity of Calgarians.
The fire happened in a four-unit Montgomery townhouse Tuesday morning.
Berry and her son, Daryl Noble, were two of the 11 people forced out of the complex in the 4500 block of Montgomery Avenue N.W.
"I looked out my bedroom window and I saw flames shooting out of the carport," she said. "I was lucky to get out of there with my life."
As she figures out her next steps, Berry's focus now turns to the possessions she lost in the fire.
She says one thing in particular stands out.
"I just lost my son in March of this year, so it's been a real tragic year for me. I had his ashes in a necklace that was in there," she told CTV News. "I can't believe it's gone."
Berry says she's talking to Calgary Housing about a relocation to the city's southwest.
Noble, whose name wasn't on the lease, says as of next week, he could be homeless.
And the duo aren't the only tenants facing a tough recovery.
Neighbours Spencer McGuire and Deia Ward-Viney say they had sentimental items inside their unit related to the birth of daughter Riley.
"We had her birth tags from when she was a newborn and like, the little cap they put on her and, you know, photo albums, stuff that cannot be replaced," Ward-Viney said.
"Coming into the situation we were just trying to make ends meet, trying to pick up and build, and we did and then ... it got wiped out."
But as Christmas approaches, there is a small silver lining for both families.
Two fundraising pages set up to help them get back on their feet financially have already exceeded their goals.
"We're blessed," Ward-Viney said Friday. "I'm speechless, because I've never had such support from complete strangers."
Berry said she wouldn't "know what I would do without everyone's help."
"Everybody has just been so wonderful and they've been so kind and supportive and it just makes me cry," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.