Three New Brunswick families were homeless Sunday after fires in Saint John and Stoney Creek over the weekend.
No one was injured in either fire.
An old building in west Saint John was gutted at about 2 a.m. AT Sunday, displacing two families.
The fire in the walls at 300 Charlotte St. West spread quickly, to the point that firefighters had to exit the building for their own safety, acting district chief B.J. MacDonald said.
The 100-year-old two-storey wood building made it difficult to put out the fire, he said.
"The problem with the older style, or older constructed structures like that, they have no fire stop, so the fire and smoke and heat can travel unimpeded and it makes it difficult to find the seed of the fire, where the actual fire is burning," MacDonald said.
"And of course there's radiant heat that moves up through the walls, causing other parts of the building, other components of the building, to catch fire."
Fire officials are trying to determine the cause of the blaze, which kept them busy for about 10 hours. It was called in as an electrical problem, MacDonald said.
Families getting help
The Red Cross is helping one of the families to find a place to stay.
People in the neighbourhood also plan to help, said Mary Ann O'Hara, who lives a block away.
"People will open up what they have — basements, garages. Where there's a need, there's a West Side way. That's the way it is," she said.
O'Hara said she hopes to collect money and household items to help the families get back on their feet.
"I'm sure the community can help these people out. I have no doubt. I'm just glad it didn't happen in the middle of December."
Anyone interested in making a donation can contact the Carleton Community Centre or the Lancaster Recording Studios, where O'Hara works.
Another fire Saturday around noon destroyed a family home in Stoney Creek, about eight kilometres south of Riverview.
A couple and their two daughters, aged nine and 11, were not home at 41 Lacewood St. at the time.
The family is staying with relatives and got some emergency clothing and food from the Red Cross.
