There have been so many donations to help the victims of a devastating apartment complex fire that the City of Barrie can longer accept items.
The city says it has run out of storage space for clothes, diapers and other items that will be used to help as many as 70 residents displaced by Monday’s fire at 100 Little Ave.
"This is just absolutely beyond anything I have ever seen in terms of the amount of generosity in this community," says Mayor Jeff Lehman.
Instead of physical donations, the city is now asking that people contribute to one of the two GoFundMe campaigns.
The two campaigns have raised more than $19,000 combined.
The city plans to work with the Barrie Housing Corporation to distribute the items.
"The plan is to start sorting them through the weekend and matching them with the needs."
Flames destroyed the apartment building late Monday night. The cause may never be known, but isn’t considered suspicious. Damage to the building is pegged at $2.5 million.
Many residents lost everything to the fire. Due to safety concerns, they may never actually be able to return to their formers homes.
Lori Desroches returned to work on Thursday for the first time since the fire. She called the apartment building home for 17 years.
“We just want to go back to how we had our life,” she says. “Our life is upside down."
Several tenants have been taken to a Barrie hotel, but that is a short term solution to a much bigger problem.
It’s still not clear where they will be able to call home next.