But then, early on the morning of July 15, a fire started in the garage of their Citadel home, and the compromises and strains of the next few months would scatter them. “We had four dogs, a cat and a bunny,” Robert Marsh said with a laugh. “Yeah, it was a handful and a homemade one.” The fire destroyed the attached garage of their Citadel home and cut off the living room on the main floor. The house can be saved, but the expensive renovation has gutted much of it to the studs. Unable to find a home for the entire family and their pets, Marsh took a trailer they had bought over the summer and parked it in the driveway of the vacant house to live with the dogs while his wife and children lived in a hotel. But soon complaints started coming in to City of Calgary law enforcement – the RV parked for more than 36 hours, the tongue of the trailer hanging a little over the road, the temporary electrical box in the garage from the insurance company’s contractor wasn’t” . Per code, the guardrail was not properly secured. Marsh says most neighbors have been very supportive and understanding of the family’s situation, knowing it’s temporary. But someone has called the ordinance over and over again, and that has upset some other neighbors. “Someone who loses their home in a house fire and is (forced to) live in a trailer on their street in the winter months, people will have absolutely no problem with that,” said Rania Assaf, who lives two doors down below. “If you have a problem with that, you just kick someone when they’re down.” The Marshes were forced to re-home two of their dogs. The cat and rabbit now live with another neighbor in the Citadel. Mom Julia and their 17-year-old son are currently in a hotel. Their teenage daughter goes to school outside the province. The family applied to the city for a compassionate-use waiver of the ordinance issues a month ago, but the city is still reviewing the application. A traffic policeman was found at the house again on Thursday. “We recognize the impact the fire has had on the family and sympathize with their situation,” the city said in a statement. “Residents have applied for a recreational vehicle permit, which would allow the RV to remain parked where it is beyond the standard schedule as per our bylaw (the bylaw currently allows RVs to be parked for a maximum of 36 hours). “However, the city has received some complaints from the community and we are reviewing the issues to ensure we balance compassion for residents with overall safety for the community before we can make a decision on the permit.” Renovations will proceed once cost estimates and contractor bidding are complete – a process required by the family’s insurer. “We’re going to take care of the family first and foremost,” Marsh said. “This can always be rebuilt, right? And the community – Citadel – was fantastic.”
