Community effort continues in Verona to support former McMullen Manor residents

Jeff Green | Jan 13, 2021

On Thursday night, at about 10pm, a fire started at McMullen Manor, a housing complex in Verona that had 28 one-bedroom units.

A smoke alarm alerted a resident to the fire who called it in. The first crews from South Frontenac Fire Services arrived at about 10:20pm.

“When the crews arrived several of the units in the building were fully engaged and they could see that the fire had spread to the attic,” said a tired Darcy Knott, South Frontenac Fire Chief, when contacted from the site late Friday morning. (January 8)

Working with the OPP, South Frontenac crews determined that all of the residents of the Manor were safe.

“The fire was very aggressive,” said Knott, and after surveying the perimeter, crews began attacking it from the exterior, the goal being to put it out as quickly as possible, making sure it did not spread to any neighbouring buildings.

Members of the Verona Free Methodist Church, which is located nearby, quickly opened the church and put coffee on. Residents from McMullen Manor took refuge in the church, and when 2 officials from the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation, including Executive Director Mary-Lyn Cousins Brame, arrived on the scene, they met the residents there.

McMullen Manor was owned and operated by the housing corporation, which manages subsidised housing properties for residents of the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac.

Pastor Kathy Casement, of the Free Methodist Church (FMC), arrived on the scene at about 11:30. “Everything became very organised very quickly,” she said. “There was support from the housing corporation, victims services, and the OPP. Some of our church members were even able to bring some clothes out from the Style Revival [the used closing store run out of the church] for people who had nothing to wear. Most of the residents from McMullen Manor were in shock. They were sitting quietly, staring off into space.”

A number of the residents were picked up by family and friends from the Verona vicinity, and some ended up being driven to Kingston, where they are staying in a hotel with Kingston Frontenac Housing covering their immediate expenses.

“By about 2:30 am, everyone had left, and we closed up and went home. It all happened really quickly, when you think about it,” she said. Three of the residents at the Manor are members of the Verona Free Methodist, and church members are committed to supporting them, as well as all of those who lost all of their belongings, and their housing, in a matter of minutes.

Fire crews worked all night on the fire, which was still smouldering on Thursday morning.

Five South Frontenac Fire Services Stations responded to the incident, consisting of upwards of 50 volunteer firefighters and 17 apparatus. An Aerial Truck from Kingston Fire & Rescue and an extra tanker from Stone Mills Fire Department were also dispatched to assist.

“A lot of water was required, especially for the aerial truck, and it required quite an effort in terms of water shuttle for our department, but we kept the water coming,” said Knott.

Road 38 (Verona Main Street) was closed through Verona all night, with a detour using Hinchinbrooke and Desert Lake Roads, but re-opened at 7am.

“We did not want the detour to be in place in the morning, with all the commuter traffic coming through,” said Knott.

Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office arrived on the scene late on Friday morning, to begin the job of determining the cause of the fire.

Fire Chief Knott said that, while the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, it is not considered a suspicious fire, but he added that it is the job of the Fire Marshal's Office to make that determination.

There was no loss of human life in the fire, but as of Tuesday, one person was still in KGH as a result of injuries sustained in the fire, and a number of pets perished.

Since the weekend, a community effort aimed at supporting over 30 people who have lost their homes and their possessions has taken hold in Verona and other South Frontenac Communities.

The Verona Community Association (VCA), Southern Frontenac Community Services, the VFMC, and the Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation have been working together to deal with an outpouring of support from far and wide.

Linda Bates, from the VCA, spent much of the weekend with another member of the association, cooking food for the first responders and Fire Marshall’s office members who remained at the scene until lake Sunday, making sure the fire scene was safe.

Trying to deal with offers of clothing, food, and furniture has been a major concern for all concerned. While they recommended from the start that people provide only cash donations, clothing and other items were being accepted at first, but not anymore.

“Please notify all contacts that we no longer require clothing or household items at this time. We are thankful for everything that has been donated but all locations are full at this time,” Linda Bates wrote to supporters on Monday morning.”

Pastor Casement posted on Sunday that financial donations are being accepted at all Verona Churches, yourverona.ca (the VCA website) and Southern Frontenac Community Services, which is the central location where all the funds will be gathered for distribution.

“Also, Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation is looking for places to rent for their tenants. If you have, or know of, a place to rent in Kingston, Verona, or South Frontenac Township, please go to their website khfc.ca/contact-us and leave a message. They will be in contact with you” said Pastor Casement.

Melissa Elliott, the Volunteer Co-ordinator with Southern Frontenac Community Services, is the liaison person for anyone offering furniture, and she is working on that with the Sydenham Legion. She can be contacted at 613-376-6477 ext. 209

Formal and informal fundraising events have sprung up around the township. One of them is called “Kitchen Aid for McMullen Manor, hosted by former Verona resident Leann Benoit. For information, call 766-6601 and Kerri Pringle.

Other efforts are underway and some of them can be accessed through the What’s Happening South Frontenac Facebook Group.

“On behalf of Council and our community, I want to extend my sincere condolences to the residents of McMullen Manor who lost their homes in this terrible tragedy. I also want to convey our appreciation to all South Frontenac Fire & Rescue (SFFR) personnel, as well as our neighbouring fire departments in Kingston and Stone Mills that came to assist last night,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “While it is devastating to know many lost their homes last night, I am thankful that there was no loss of life and grateful to the Red Cross, Victim Services, the Verona Free Methodist Church, Frontenac Paramedics and the Frontenac Detachment of the OPP for providing support to our residents during this difficult time,” said South Frontenac Mayor Vandewal in a statement that was released by South Frontenac Township over the weekend.