Vigil held for victim of a fatal fire

Friends and family of Olivia Clark gathered Friday night to remember her as a beautiful person.

Clark died last week after succumbing to injuries sustained in a fire.

“You know, she’s a wonderful, beautiful person,” said Gary Turner, Clark’s friend.

Several people gathered on the sidewalk outside of Ark Aid Mission, where the fire occurred.

“There's other ways of recognizing the homeless. It's not all what you see behind us. It's people's family. And so it's a face of a person that we all saw. Passed away because of the circumstances surrounding homelessness,” said vigil organizer Donna Atkinson Wilson.

For those who knew her, Clark’s passing was difficult, especially since it happened just 10 days after she was forced back onto the streets.

“I spent the last two winters and the last summer working pretty closely with Olivia, actually, during the overnight shelters and where she was sleeping and staying,” said Turner. “And I actually live just behind the arc building here, so I was quite close when the incident occurred. And, you know, she was always a light up the room kind of woman.”

The group that assembled laid carnations to mark the spot where Clark sustained her injuries. She died in hospital on April 15.

The vigil meant to serve as a reminder that more needs to be done to help those who struggle with homelessness.