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Single mother, children homeless after townhouse fire

Jan. 9, 2014, Regina – A single mother from Afghanistan and her five children are homeless after a fire at a townhouse complex in Regina.

The family had just moved to Canada three months ago.

Fire Chief Randy Ryba says the family escaped unharmed, but the building was destroyed.

He says everyone else in the four-unit complex escaped as well.

Ryba says it's too early to determine how the fire started.

He says his crews will enter the building as soon as it's safe.

"I do have an investigator on scene," Ryba said Thursday. "He stayed doing preliminary interviewing at this time. Once he does a safety audit of the structure – it's extremely heavily damaged – and it's safe to go in … we will certainly … try to get to the bottom of this."

Hazrat Talash, a neighbour and family friend, said he heard a knock at his door just before 5 a.m. He said his first concern was for the safety of the woman and her five children. All of the youngsters are under nine and one of the daughters has a disability, he said.

The family, who lost everything in the fire, is staying with him.

"They don't have nothing. No clothes. Nothing. Three months ago they came. They are new refugee people. They don't have family here," Talash said.