‘I lost everything again’: Agency reinforces fire safety, emergency preparedness for newcomers

A refugee family living in Edmonton is sharing some fire safety tips they've learned after their home burned down. CTV News Edmonton's Curtis Goodrum has more.

A newcomer family that experienced the devastating loss of a house fire is now looking to make sure others avoid the same loss.

Naveed Hakimi and his family had only been in Canada for a couple of years in 2024 as refugees from Afghanistan when they had to start from scratch once again. An apartment fire destroyed their belongings, legal documents and memories of home.

Hakimi, who co-ordinates housing with Catholic Social Services, shared his story to a crowd of new Canadians: a story of “new dreams,” with his kids safely in school ready to start a “new journey.”

“I’m a refugee, so I lost everything back home. When I came to Canada, that new opportunity, (we) started a new life,” he said at Tuesday’s Alberta Avenue Community Centre event.

“But when the fire happened in 2024, I felt I lost everything again.”

Hakimi’s home in northeast Edmonton is still being rebuilt.

Tuesday’s event aimed to help newcomers learn about and reduce the risks of fire. Hakimi said the safety procedures learned back home may not apply everywhere.

“Back (in Afghanistan) we have a lot of concrete homes, we never use wood in our homes … The safety measures that we’ve taught back home, they’re totally different from Canada.”

He advocates for newly immigrated families to get home or tenant insurance and keep up-to-date with common fire risks.

“I am safe, my family is safe, everybody is safe, but a fire can have a lot of financial and emotional consequences,” he said.

Sharon Yeo, the director of Catholic Social Services, says the Edmonton-based group works to settle government-assisted refugees in the city. That includes helping them find both initial and permanent housing, as well as educating them on the importance of safety, tenancy best practices and emergency preparedness.

“There were a couple of pretty devastating fires that impacted a large number of our newcomers, so our focus this year is on safety … Ensuring that their insurance is up to date, ensuring they have a go-bag, knowing some of the basics, like where are the emergency exits, safe cooking tips,” she said.

“It’s reinforcing things that they may already know, but I think any Edmontonian would need a reminder.”

The agency’s ultimate goal is to ensure newcomers who escaped conflict can live a successful life in Canada, she added.

Each year’s theme shifts a little, but Yeo says the safety aspects will remain so long as they’re helpful to those at the events.

“It’s overwhelming when you move to a new country, there’s a lot of information being thrown at you. Events like this really allow us to stop and reinforce some of that information,” she said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum