Elderly man badly burned, daughter devastated by fire

A Winnipeg woman says her father, who was severely injured after fire consumed their house in Weston Monday, can only nod yes or no and move three of his fingers.

“Right now, he has a 50-50 chance of he might or might not make it,” said Melanie Flett about her 73-year-old father, Alvin Flett.

“He’s able to hear us. He’s able to nod ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ but that is about it.”

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.

She doesn’t 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 “complete loss.”

Flett said it’s been heartbreaking to see her dad in so much pain, calling him “a father that everybody would want.”

“He is a very stubborn old man, but God, he has a heart of gold,” she said. “It feels like somebody ripped out my heart. I don’t feel like a human. I feel like a zombie … It’s heart-wrenching, it honestly is, to see someone you love go through that pain.”

Flett said they had no insurance and she has been forced to live in her car. At 32, Flett is her father’s caretaker and works full time.

She said she was able to get support from the Canadian Red Cross — something she’s thankful for — but it has run out.

“There’s so many missing females in this city that I don’t feel safe sleeping in my car,” she said.

Flett started a GoFundMe campaign to rebuild her life and continue to care for her father.

“I have absolutely nothing,” she said.

Her aunt, Violet Flett, who recently arrived from Vancouver to help, said she worries about her niece.

“She’s not holding up well,” she said. “She’s very distraught.”

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.

The Manitoba government issued a statement after it was asked about financial help for fire victims.

“Help 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,” the statement said.

The Flett family is not alone, said Mark Fleming, executive director of the North End Housing Project. The non-profit operates Winnipeg’s 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.

“Every time there’s a fire, I almost expect to get a call within the next few days,” he said.

“This month alone, we’ve gotten probably six or seven calls,” said Fleming. “It’s very traumatic when you lose your home.”

The Steve Perchyshyn fire rescue house, which was launched with support from the Firefighters Burn Fund Inc. in 2007, is paid for through fundraising.

“I can tell you just by the amount of calls we get, I could definitely see this being expanded,” he said. “And not only expanded to fire … but also to families who have to leave their homes due to other issues, like no heat in the building or domestic issues.”

The unit is only available to families, but in future, the organization hopes to provide other, smaller units — or even a multi-unit apartment — to house smaller families and single people.

“Fire damage is quite rampant,” he said. “You can drive around the city and see a lot of the boarded-up houses.”

Right now, the unit is being renovated between tenants.

Fleming said the suite is prone to extensive wear and tear and upkeep is constant. However, he said it’s important to provide resources to people in a time of crisis.

“You’re so distraught when that happens, especially if you have young kids … so you really have to have that time to just put it all together,” he said. “To have that reality kick in, that: ‘oh my God, this has happened.’ But we’re safe, we’re together, now we’ve got to figure out what’s the next step.’”

Fleming said he’s spoken to Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith about expanding the program.

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca