{"id":96792,"date":"2026-07-28T01:15:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T04:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/28\/we-have-lost-everything-victims-of-halifaxs-park-victoria-apartment-fire-and-their-friends-issue-pleas-for-help\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T01:15:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T04:15:57","slug":"we-have-lost-everything-victims-of-halifaxs-park-victoria-apartment-fire-and-their-friends-issue-pleas-for-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/07\/28\/we-have-lost-everything-victims-of-halifaxs-park-victoria-apartment-fire-and-their-friends-issue-pleas-for-help\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We have lost everything\u2019: Victims of Halifax\u2019s Park Victoria apartment fire and their friends issue pleas for help"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>GoFundMe campaign started for tenants who lost everything in fire at downtown Halifax apartment buildingPublished Jul 27, 2026Last updated 5hours ago6 minute readHalifax regional firefighters knock down a fire in an eighth-floor suite in the Park Victoria apartment building in Halifax on Saturday. Photo by Tim Krochak \/Chronicle HeraldArticle contentTenants from the Park Victoria apartment in Halifax that caught fire on Saturday are asking for help.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentSabareeshnath Kadamgode Puthenveedu created a GoFundMe campaign on the weekend for friends Divya Chainani, Bhumika Bhumika and Ojas Gitai saying they lost everything in the downtown building fire and need support to get back on their feet.Article contentArticle content\u201cEarlier today, July 25, 2026, we experienced a devastating fire at Park Victoria Apartments in Halifax,\u201d the GoFundMe post read.Article contentArticle content\u201cThankfully, all three of us are safe, and we are incredibly grateful for that. However, we have lost almost everything we owned and are now facing the overwhelming task of rebuilding our lives. The three of us \u2026 shared a three-bedroom apartment. At the time of the fire, we were inside. We are extremely thankful that everyone was able to get out safely.Article content\u201cThe fire caused extensive damage to our home. The fire spread into the bedrooms, kitchen and common areas. We lost our clothing, furniture, electronics, personal belongings, and irreplaceable items that we had.Article content\u201cOjas is currently unemployed and Bhumika just recently moved in the city. Right now, we are facing the immediate challenge of finding temporary accommodation and replacing everyday essentials. Starting over from scratch is incredibly daunting, and we are reaching out to (the) community for support.Article content\u201cHow your support helps: Any contribution, big or small, will directly help us secure temporary housing and immediate shelter costs, daily essentials and clothing, basic furniture, electronics, and home supplies to restart. If you are unable to contribute financially, sharing this page with your network would mean the world to us.Article contentArticle content\u201cThank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, generosity, and for reminding us that we are not alone. All funds collected will be equally distributed among the three people.\u201dArticle content Residents evacuate the Park Victoria apartment building in Halifax after a fire broke out on the eighth floor on Saturday. Photo by Tim Krochak \/Chronicle HeraldArticle contentThe posted goal for the campaign is $10,000, with nearly $6,500 already collected from more than 100 donors by early afternoon on Monday. Attempts to reach the three tenants were unsuccessful.Article contentA Facebook post on the Desiinights party entertainment service page, with the collaboration of Khushi Singh and Priyanka Praveen, issued similar pleas for help.Article content\u201cWhen life changes in a matter of minutes, the road to recovery can feel impossible,\u201d the post read.Article content\u201cToday\u2019s apartment fire at Park Victoria has left some of our close friends with nothing. They have lost their home, their belongings, important documents, furniture, clothes, and everything they worked so hard to build over the years. No one should ever have to go through something like this.Article content\u201cIf you\u2019re in a position to help, no matter how big or small the amount, please consider donating. Every contribution will help them take the first steps toward rebuilding their lives. Please also share this post so it reaches as many people as possible. Your kindness, prayers, and support mean more than words can express. Thank you to everyone who comes together in times like these.\u201dArticle contentFewer than 10 apartments affected by the fireArticle contentRob Hebb, the acting assistant chief on duty from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, said on Monday that investigators are still trying to determine how the fire started.Article content\u201cWe just started this morning, so they\u2019ve got staff over there now to start that process,\u201d he said.Article content\u201cIt\u2019s hard to put an actual timeline on it because it really depends on a number of factors. One of them, obviously, is to (assess) the damage and whatnot, and how quickly they can determine a point of origin, and then figure out at that point what actually caused it.Article content\u201cSo there could be a lot of sifting and a lot of moving of material and that kind of stuff. It\u2019s a very slow, time-consuming process. They could be there for a day, a couple of days, it\u2019s hard to say.\u201dArticle content Halifax regional firefighters inspect the damage from a fire in an eighth-floor suite in the Park Victoria apartment building in Halifax on Saturday. Photo by Tim Krochak \/Chronicle HeraldArticle contentAlthough Hebb reiterated how the investigation is still in its early phases, he estimated the number of affected apartments on the day of the fire were fewer than 10. No tenants, building staff or firefighters were injured.Article contentArticle content\u201cI know that the fire impacted the windows in the apartment directly above it,\u201d Hebb said.Article content\u201cAnd then there would have been some water damage in the units below as water makes its way down through the building and from the firefighting efforts on the fire floor.Article content\u201cThere would also have been some smoke impact in the hallway, but I don\u2019t imagine there was a whole lot affected in other units. I don\u2019t have all the details on that. My understanding is the day of the fire, it was a relatively low count of folks that were displaced. Less than 10,\u201d he said.Article content\u201cAnd a lot of the reason for that was due to the fact that it was a very quick response, a quick hit on the fire, so they were able to minimize the spread to the floor above or even on the fire floor itself. They contained it to the one apartment, for the most part.\u201dArticle content Halifax regional firefighters work to extinguish a fire in an eighth-floor suite in the Park Victoria apartment building in Halifax on Saturday. Photo by Tim Krochak \/Chronicle HeraldArticle contentNo building interruptions anticipated by managementArticle contentPark Victoria is managed by CAPREIT and company spokesperson Danny Roth provided a further update on Monday afternoon.Article contentArticle content\u201cThat suite currently remains uninhabitable and, although neighbouring units sustained some minor damage as a result of firefighting response, the building has been deemed safe for re-occupancy and all other residents have been returned to their units,\u201d he wrote in a statement.Article content\u201cWe are pleased to note that no injuries were reported and our emergency building systems and staff responded appropriately to the situation. We continue to communicate with building residents and have advised that we do not anticipate any ongoing interruptions to typical building services.Article content\u201cWe remain grateful to our staff for their professional response to the incident, for the patient and responsible actions of building residents and for the great efforts of emergency responders.\u201dArticle contentHigh-rise fire training paying offArticle contentHebb went on to explain how a major reason crews were able to contain and extinguish the fire so efficiently was because of a recent department commitment to improved training and technology specific to working in taller structures.Article content\u201cI definitely wanted to highlight the efforts of the crews that day,\u201d Hebb said.Article content\u201cWe\u2019ve invested a lot of time and energy and finances in our high-rise training in recent years, just due to what\u2019s going on with building construction going up everywhere here. So we\u2019ve been doing a lot of training, investing in a lot of equipment, and that was on full display that day. It really paid off. The crews did an amazing job.\u201dArticle contentDeputy fire chief Amos Robia also said that because of the nature of high-rise fires, a larger response is necessary than for a home.Article contentCrews need to carry hoses and gear up the stairs to the floor below the fire, connect the hoses to the interior water pipes and then move up to the floor where the fire is to attack the flames.Article contentThat\u2019s one of the biggest challenges of fires in high-rise buildings, Robia said, along with getting everyone there to look after all the tasks. The fact that the building is constructed of concrete and steel helps keep the fire from spreading.Article contentArticle content Residents and onlookers react as Halifax regional firefighters knock down a fire at the Park Victoria apartment building in Halifax on Saturday. Photo by Tim Krochak \/Chronicle HeraldArticle contentRestaurant clean-up went quickly, says ownerArticle contentLiz Ingram-Chambers is the owner of Le Bistro by Liz restaurant on the ground floor of the building directly below the fire. She also commended the fire crews for the outstanding response and described how her space and business were affected by the midday blaze.Article content\u201cGuests were evacuated at 11:30 a.m.,\u201d she wrote in an email.Article content\u201c(The) fire department was so fast responding. Our team proceeded to turn off propane and various other electrical ovens. (The) team vacated. Since we were on the base floor, we got back in to start cleaning up and managing water gushing through our ceiling.Article content\u201cOur staff helped to take care of tenants displaced, letting them in to use washroom facilities, water dogs and people waiting on the lawn as well,\u201d Ingram-Chambers continued.Article content\u201cApproximately 300 litres of water was caught coming through the ceiling in the back part of our bistro. Our storage rooms, electrical room, back hallway from the emergency exit from upstairs were all flooded as well. It was about a five-hour cleanup for my wonderful staff and myself. We did manage to open for dinner service at 5 (p.m.). Only half our bistro could open.Article content\u201cOn Sunday we were able to fully open. We are so lucky and no one was hurt. We are very grateful.\u201dArticle content Park Victoria resident Surha Patnaikmi looks up at the damage from an eighth-floor fire in the building on Saturday. Le Bistro is the restaurant directly below the damaged unit. Photo by Willy Palov \/Chronicle HeraldArticle content<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GoFundMe campaign started for tenants who lost everything in fire at downtown Halifax apartment buildingPublished Jul 27, 2026Last updated 5hours ago6 minute readHalifax regional firefighters knock down a fire in an eighth-floor suite in the Park Victoria apartment building in Halifax on Saturday. Photo by Tim Krochak \/Chronicle HeraldArticle contentTenants from the Park Victoria apartment [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":96793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,590,1],"tags":[116,589],"class_list":["post-96792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-indigenous","category-newfoundland-and-labrador","category-uncategorized","tag-indigenous","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}