March 9 Update: Fire in downtown Bowmanville

Update March 9 at 1 p.m. - Clarington continues to work through response and recovery to the tragic fire in downtown Bowmanville on March 6. As of March 9, the site remains under investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal.

Durham Region’s Emergency Social Services Team continues to support displaced residents with immediate needs and pathways to income and employment support and longer-term housing.

Supporting displaced residents with donations

Clarington is a community that cares, and it has been inspiring to see how we have come together to offer support and donations to victims of the fire.

Local partners and organizations are assisting with the collection and distribution of monetary and gift card donations. The primary lead is the Salvation Army Bowmanville. As there has been an outpouring of community support, we ask that the community is patient with volunteers at the Salvation Army, who are working around the clock to receive and channel donations.

At this time, the Salvation Army, Region of Durham and Red Cross are not able to receive physical donations, as they are difficult to manage due to the high volume of donations, the individual needs of residents, and the nature of the current temporary accommodations. Food donations pose risks with food safety. Please know that displaced residents have access to meals, vouchers and gift cards, and have direct support to request specific items they need.

At this time, the best way to help is through monetary or gift card donations. This will ensure donations are distributed to affected residents equitably, to best support their individual needs. Volunteers are not able to manage the high volume of physical donations at this time.

If you are a local restaurant that would like to provide vouchers for meals, please contact the Clarington Board of Trade for information on how to do so.

Clarington will continue to share daily updates with the community, which will include information about ways to best support displaced individuals as they navigate the path forward, including specifics about what is needed most.

As a reminder, we encourage those considering donating to GoFundMe campaigns to confirm the validity of these fundraisers as they are not endorsed by the Municipality, Region or Red Cross.

Thank you, Clarington. 💙

View all past updates and information at www.clarington.net/BowmanvilleFire.

Media Contact:

Melissa Westover
Manager of Communications, Municipality of Clarington
mwestover@clarington.net