Tenants begin to look ahead after fire at their building

It's been a stressful week for tenants who lost homes due to smoke and water damage at an apartment building in Charlottetown. 

Many are clearing out their last belongings this weekend. Some said they are staying with friends, others have rented new spots, and some are still looking.

Many of the people who lived in building were students or people in P.E.I. on work permits, trying to accumulate hours to qualify for permanent residency. 

Pavan Kumer Vemulapalli, 30, works at a local fast-food restaurant. He had just moved in about a month ago. 

"It's tough to get an apartment," he said. 

Vemulapalli and his roommates did end up finding one nearby, but had to pay about $500 more for the monthly rent. 

He said many were worried about losing important paperwork during the fire.

"They are panicking, you know, the passports, the work permits, the study permits, all the certificates are inside, and … if something happened with that, it's a long process,"  he said. 

Vemulapalli was able to retrieve all his papers, although they were a bit soggy. 

He said he's grateful to firefighters and the Red Cross who provided support to tenants for several days after the fire. 

"This is the first time this has happened in my life," he said.

Gurpreet Singh was at work when the fire broke, but his friend sent photos to his phone.

"I was shocked watching that this is our apartment," he said. 

Singh and many other tenants did not have insurance for their belongings.