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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Melanie Flett says she and her father had no insurance, and the loss of the home has forced her to live in her car for the time being.<\/p>\n
Firefighters were called to the home around 7:55 p.m. They managed to get Alvin Flett out of the home, but he had suffered second- and third-degree burns to half of his body.<\/p>\n
She doesn\u2019t know how the fire started, but said she received a call from her father beforehand, concerned about the smell of burning wires. Flett rushed home and when she arrived, the house was ablaze. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said the fire was under control in 35 minutes, and the house is considered a \u201ccomplete loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flett said it\u2019s been heartbreaking to see her dad in so much pain, calling him \u201ca father that everybody would want.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a very stubborn old man, but God, he has a heart of gold,\u201d she said. \u201cIt feels like somebody ripped out my heart. I don\u2019t feel like a human. I feel like a zombie \u2026 It\u2019s heart-wrenching, it honestly is, to see someone you love go through that pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flett said they had no insurance and she has been forced to live in her car. At 32, Flett is her father\u2019s caretaker and works full time.<\/p>\n
She said she was able to get support from the Canadian Red Cross \u2014 something she\u2019s thankful for \u2014 but it has run out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many missing females in this city that I don\u2019t feel safe sleeping in my car,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Flett started a GoFundMe campaign to rebuild her life and continue to care for her father.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have absolutely nothing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her aunt, Violet Flett, who recently arrived from Vancouver to help, said she worries about her niece.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not holding up well,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s very distraught.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two women say victims of fires should be able to access public support clothing, shelter and medical expenses, especially when a household is low income.<\/p>\n
The Manitoba government issued a statement after it was asked about financial help for fire victims.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp is available to individuals that, due to unforeseen circumstances, find themselves in a position without a place to live. If someone is displaced from a fire and is in need of urgent shelter, we encourage you to call 211 where someone can connect you to social services that can help. Calls can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 150 languages,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The Flett family is not alone, said Mark Fleming, executive director of the North End Housing Project. The non-profit operates Winnipeg\u2019s only fire rescue house, where families who have lost everything to a fire can stabilize during a 30-day lease in the furnished three-bedroom unit free of charge.<\/p>\n