'Completely devastating': Victim grapples with losses following last month's massive Maple Ridge fire

Dave Schneider struggled to salvage any of his belongings after the house he rented burnt down.

He, along with hundreds of others, are now without a place to call home following a massive fire in Maple Ridge last month that sparked at a five-storey condo building under construction and destroyed it.

The flames also spread to an inhabited condo building and a pair of neighbouring houses by Brown Avenue and Edge Street -- Schneider lived in one of the houses.

“It’s virtually all gone. I don’t know what to do,” he told CTV News.

“It’s just becoming too overwhelming,” he continued.

Schneider, who’s been living with his children the last few weeks, said his depression has kicked in as he tries to look for another place to live for himself, his senior father and roommate.

“Having a place to call home is almost impossible,” he said.

He’s said he’s lost about $80,000 worth of things and without insurance, the loss is taking a toll on him.

His daughter set up a GoFundMe to help alleviate some of the financial burdens.

Many questions are left unanswered, including how the fire started.

It’s now under investigation by both RCMP and the Maple Ridge Fire Department.

Dan Ruimy, the mayor of Maple Ridge, said he’s spoken to several fire victims who wonder the same thing.

“The folks that I’ve spoken to -- it’s the devastation of ‘Where am I going to live after this? Especially if I’m a renter, where am I going to live? Do I need to move out of Maple Ridge? Where is my job located? How am I going to get to my job?’” he said.

He also said the community has raised about $25,000 to help those displaced by the fire and they can apply for financial help through community services.

“We are moving forward and people are always asking, ‘How do we help? How can we help?’” he said.

Ruimy said last month's fire is the worst he's seen in the city, and he's grateful for the quick reaction of first responders and community members.

As for Schneider, he said he’s “stuck between a rock and a hard place” and continues to pick up his life.

“I hope no one ever goes through this again,” he said. “This is just completely devastating.”