Firefighters continue to douse small fires in the roof of a townhouse complex in Brampton, Ont., on June 8, 2014.J.P. MOCZULSKI/The Globe and Mail
More than $68,800 in donations has been raised for families displaced by a fire that consumed a Brampton housing unit early Sunday morning, killing a 10-year-old boy.
Hundreds were evacuated from the complex on Sunday, with 80 to 100 residents unable to return to 18 homes destroyed by the fire. Five families were using emergency shelters offered by the Region of Peel on Monday.
"We've struck a committee of local community leaders that will help in determining where the money will go," said Ted Brown, executive director of Regeneration Outreach Community, which set up a trust fund on Sunday for victims of the fire.
"We're going to look at people with the greatest of needs first. People who have insurance won't have the same needs as those without."
Mr. Brown said around 550 money donations have come in from across Southern Ontario, the majority coming from Brampton. "They've have been as small as $5 and up to $10,000."
A crowdfunding campaign was launched Monday in a bid to raise $10,000 in 30 days to help bolster the existing trust fund. Toronto-based platform GreedyGiver.com is waiving its fees for this campaign.
Kevin Birmingham, manager of The Journey community centre, said people across the GTA have dropped off clothing and supplies. "This community has rallied tremendously. It's been amazing to watch," he said.
An investigation into the cause and spread of the fire is being conducted by the Ontario Fire Marshal, Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, Peel Regional Police and the Office of the Chief Coroner.