The fire that displaced dozens of seniors on Sunday was truly devastating, but as in every situation where someone needs help, the citizens of Moose Jaw opened up.

From taking the seniors from Crestview to making sure everyone was safe, Moose Jaw performed extremely well in this situation.

Heather Senft, a past first responder, wants to give a huge thank you to all those who helped out after the fire. She does not live in that building, but her husband is a maintenance worker at the building and saw just how many people got involved during Sunday's fire.

"Just a big thank you to the fire people that were there and the paramedics and the police and Tim Hortons," said Senft. "Everybody has done just a wonderful job, and Red Cross. Everybody has opened up. Moose Jaw City buses, they came with a bus up there and everybody just deserves a big thank you."

She especially wants to give some recognition to the first responders on scene, as they managed to keep the situation under control and made sure everyone got out safely.

"Those first responders that do their job every single day, you know what, they don't get enough thanks," she said. "The Red Cross have made sure that all the seniors are okay, comfortable. The firemen have been coming back and letting them know whats going on and everyone just deserves a big thank you."

EMS, the Fire Department, Moose Jaw City Police Service, Saskpower and Saskenergy all responded to the scene.

Volunteers also came from all over town. Tim Hortons had supplied free coffee and treats on Sunday, the Red Cross is making sure all the seniors' needs are met, the First Baptist Church gave all the displaced seniors somewhere to stay, and Moose Jaw transit provided a bus to transport those who couldn't drive.

"We had the Red Cross and the First Baptist Church step up and [they] looked after all those people and fed them and did a fantastic job of making sure their needs were met," said Fire Chief Rod Montgomery. "Certainly there was rooms provided if they didn't have friends and family looking after them as well. My hats off to all those people that stepped up and again it just shows the people of Moose Jaw are fantastic in regards to that."

Chief Montgomery also wants to congratulate the building owners and operators. They made sure everything was up to code and held fire drills on a regular basis for all of their residents. This not only helped to contain the fire but also made sure everyone got out safely.

He is especially proud of all those who responded to the fire, whether they were part of emergency services or just found out if they could help. 

"The [fire] crew did a really good job. They were outstanding in getting a quick knock on that fire," added Chief Montgomery. "They did a great job. I'd certainly like to thank police and EMS and other agencies as well. There were lots of links in that chain. Certainly SaskPower, SaskEnergy responded as well, and then the volunteers. Can't say enough about them."

Chief Montgomery said that as of now, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.