Residents of nine apartments at a former motel in L’Orignal are without homes now. A fire destroyed the building on Friday, January 5. The cause of the fire at 968 County Road 17 is under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM). According to Champlain Township Director of Fire Services Ghislain Pigeon, there were no injuries to any residents or emergency personnel. He said that as of Saturday morning, January 6, the exact number of people who lived in the building had not been determined and was still part of the investigation. Pigeon said all tenants have been relocated by the Red Cross and Victims Services of Prescott-Russell, with assistance from the United Counties of Prescott and Russell Department of Social Services. On Monday, January 8, Social Services staff will meet with tenants and assist with finding long-term accommodations. Champlain Township opened the Chalet Abri (community hall) at L’Orignal Park to provide temporary shelter to the affected residents. The Red Cross, Victim Services, and the L’Orignal Food Bank were on hand to provide the affected residents with coffee, meals, clothing, and short-term accommodations. Chris Emond lives behind the scene of the fire on Lisgar Street in L’Orignal with his family. He said their house is closest to the former motel. “It went up so fast. My daughter saw the smoke first pouring out of the window of the third unit from the east. It wasn’t long after that before the flames erupted,” Emond said. Emond and his family did not have to leave their home, but smoke did enter their house. His wife and daughters left for a couple of hours. Pigeon said firefighters were called to the fire at 12:38 p.m. Friday. Firefighters from the L’Orignal station were dispatched first and the Vankleek Hill station responded immediately after. Tanker trucks from Alfred and East Hawkesbury were also called to assist with transporting water. The Hawkesbury Fire Department’s aerial truck was brought in to assist, and Hawkesbury also sent an air support unit. Alfred and Plantagenet also sent a rescue with a team of firefighters to assist. The fire was under control by 6 p.m. and firefighters were at the scene until 9:30 p.m. County Road 17 was closed for many hours between Longueuil Street/Cassburn Road and John Street. Champlain Township also advised L’Orignal residents there could be temporary, but completely safe discolouration of the drinking water supply due to the extra pressure the use of fire hydrants was placing on the water system. According to the OPP, officers from the Hawkesbury Detachment were called to the fire scene at approximately 12:45 p.m. on January 5. The police are describing the fire and the circumstances surrounding it as an active and ongoing investigation. Any person with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- 8477 (TIPS), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Pigeon said the former motel is a complete loss and no value had yet been placed on the damage caused by the fire. Commenters on social media Friday afternoon were interested in how they could possibly assist the residents affected by the fire. Pleasant Corners Public School (PCPS) and local resident Anne Sourire organized a one-day collection of clothing for men, women, children, and bedding, towels, dishes, and pans for the people who lost their homes in the fire. Beds, sofas, dressers, and toiletries were also collected.