Charges laid in Moncton homeless shelter fire

A man has been charged in connection witha fireat a Moncton homeless shelter over the weekend.

George Raymond Spears is facing one charge of attempting to start the fire at the House of Nazareth, along with two charges of uttering death threats.

Staff at the House of Nazareth say a client came to the door Friday night. The individual was not allowed to stay atthe shelter becausehe appeared intoxicated.

There were 15 clients and staff in the shelter sleeping when the fire was started and they all escaped the building.

Barbara Godin, who works at House of Nazareth, said there are some security measures in place at the shelter but they are limited.

"We do have a guardian ... every night. They stay, they know to watch, to look around and [see] if there's something unusual," Godin said.

"We have installed sensors inside the house so when there's movement the guardian is alarmed. So he comes and checks if there's movement. But outside the building, there's not really any way for us to detect if there's someone out there."

Godin said there was some minor damage at the shelter.

'We were all afraid'

Some of those people who use the Moncton homeless shelter say they're counting their blessings after the fire.

Stephane Brown was asleep in his bed at the shelter when he heard a commotion. He said people were screaming and someone yelled "fire."

"It was quite frightening because this is an old building and when it lit up, it can light up like an old match," he said.

"We were all afraid."

Deo Chuma, director of the House of Nazareth, said if the fire had spread, it would have been difficult to get everyone out because some people are on medications.

"I don't know, maybe some fatalities would have happened," Chuma said.

Chuma said it's an unfortunate incident but not the first of its kind. But he said it won't stop him from helping those who need a place to stay.