Nearly 50 people were displaced Monday by fires that caused extensive damage to two buildings in Saint John.
The Canadian Red Cross says a call came in around 11 a.m. about a fire at a three-storey apartment building the corner of Sewell and Cobourg Streets in uptown Saint John.
Spokesperson Dan Bedell said in an email that Monday’s blaze was the building third incident in recent weeks.
“While flames were mostly confined to one apartment on the third floor, there was smoke or water damage in other areas,” he said.
“Canadian Red Cross volunteers arranged emergency lodging and purchases like food and clothing for all 24 [affected].”
The Red Cross provided similar help to 10 tenants of the same building after a previous blaze less than two weeks ago on May 6.
Volunteers said 23 people were displaced a few hours later by a fire that damaged a four-unit building on MacLaren Boulevard.
Bedell said the Red Cross arranged emergency lodging and meals for a family of eight, a family of seven, a family of six, and an adult couple.
“Tenants were able to retrieve clothing and some other personal effects as the fire was contained to part of one unit but caused significant water damage in other areas of the two-storey building,” he said.
There were no reports of injuries from either fire, said Bedell.