A fire in an apartment complex in Saint John displaced 13 people and caused considerable damage to one unit, but no one was hurt.
"Problem is when you have a lot of smoke damage and stuff like that, it's oftentimes very difficult to get them back in the condition where they're usable again," district fire Chief Eric Garland told CBC News Friday.
Linda Chappel, who lives across the street from the building, saw the smoke and ran outside to see if everyone had made it out of the building.
"First thing you know flames started shooting out the door. Glass is blowing, it was a mess," said Chappel.
Chappel said the fire began in the apartment of Marie Claire Jacobs and her two sons, all of whom were home when the fire broke out.
"Marie Claire said that she had checked all of her apartment, she smelled smoke, and there was nothing," Chappel said.
"She opened the basement door and the basement was already engulfed in flames."
The Red Cross took Marie Claire, her sons and other residents of the building to a local hotel. Garland said the Jacobs's apartment was the worst hit by the fire.
Members of Chappel's family have already started to help replace the Jacobs's belongings. They're posting requests on the Freecycle Saint John website asking people to donate what they can.
