OttawaKevin Smith moved in above Suits Nightclub in Kingston at the end of October after spending months on the streets. Last week a fire damaged the building, leaving him and more than a dozen others without stable housing once again.More than a dozen people still displaced by Nov. 26 fire above nightclubDan Taekema · CBC News · Posted: Dec 05, 2025 2:31 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Kevin Smith, 28, moved in above Suits Nightclub in Kingston at the end of October after spending months on the streets. Last week a fire damaged the building, leaving him and more than a dozen others without stable housing once again. (Submitted by Kevin Smith)Kevin Smith had been homeless for nearly six months before he managed to get a roof over his head at the end of October.Then, just a month after moving in above Suits Nightclub in Kingston, Ont., he opened his door to find black smoke billowing through the hallway.”I looked at that and I’m like, ‘OK, this is not someone smoking a cigarette or a joint. This is very serious. I need to get the hell out of this building very quickly,'” he recalled.”I was thinking I might die here.”Smith and dozens of others who lived in the Montreal Street apartments were displaced by the fire on Nov. 26 that caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.No one was injured, but six people had to be rescued.What sparked the flames still hasn’t been determined, according to Kingston Fire and Rescue.Smith was transported to hospital where he was treated for smoke inhalation.Six people were rescued from the Nov. 26 fire above Suits Nightclub in Kingston that caused an estimated $500,000 in damage, according to the city’s fire department. (Dan Taekema/CBC)While some residents have been able to return to the building, he and about 18 others who lived on his floor have been told they can’t come back.Just a few weeks after finally finding a home, Smith is searching for stable housing again.”I think I am still in shock, mostly because I hadn’t lived there very long,” he said. “Even though it’s not exactly in perfect condition, it’s better than the street.”Smith said his belongings, including his passport, bank card and all of his clothes, were either lost in the fire or remain in his apartment.It also means he’s not sure what became of his guitar, an important possession for a musician who co-wrote a song about homelessness he plans to release on Dec. 13.”I’m still hoping to get everything back,” he said. “There might be a small possibility in that.”Kevin Smith was treated for smoke inhalation after the fire. (Submitted by Kevin Smith)Pamela Gray, a local advocate and co-founder of Threads of Hope, which provides tents and supplies for those living rough in Kingston, said her organization had been supporting Smith for months.”The hopelessness that he was feeling … was quite profound,” she explained. “We do worry about him as a human being able to find the stamina and to make it through another process of trying to find housing.”She said Smith and anyone else who lost everything in the fire are welcome to visit their warehouse to pick out new clothes.’I’m hoping for a miracle’Smith paid $850 to stay above Suits, a rate he acknowledged will be hard to replicate in Kingston where the median rent is around $2,000 and several hundred people don’t have a stable place to stay.”I’m very unsure about everything,” he said.”Three-and-a-half months is the shortest amount of time it’s ever taken me to find a place.”The Red Cross covered hotel stays for the first 72 hours and a spokesperson for the City of Kingston said it then paid to house people in a motel until Wednesday, a week after the fire.No one was injured in the fire at Suits Nightclub, but more than a dozen people remain displaced, more than a week later. (Dan Taekema/CBC)As of Wednesday, some of the displaced residents were moved to emergency shelter In From the Cold but Smith said he’s not allowed there.He’s been staying at a hotel in Gananoque along with two puppies named Princess and Shelby.On Thursday his rent for the month was returned, which he’s put toward keeping his room, but it’s only enough to secure it for another week and a half.”I’m hoping for a miracle between now and Dec. 17,” Smith said.ABOUT THE AUTHORDan Taekema is CBC’s reporter covering Kingston, Ont. and the surrounding area. He’s worked in newsrooms in Chatham, Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa. You can reach him by emailing daniel.taekema@cbc.ca.Follow @DanTaekema on Twitter
Fire leaves Kingston man homeless again just 1 month after finding an apartment
