Family faces task of rebuilding once again after fire

Kazic Kontracting's owner, wife, kids fled Bosnia 22 years ago

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Watching firefighters spray down the smouldering rubble that was until the previous day their family business’s base of operations, a mournful tone washed over Husein and Hasiba Kazic.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2018 (2138 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Watching firefighters spray down the smouldering rubble that was until the previous day their family business’s base of operations, a mournful tone washed over Husein and Hasiba Kazic.

“It’s only a building,” Husein reassured his wife on Sunday afternoon, wrapping his arm around her as emotions began taking hold.

Later commenting on his personal connection with both the business space and the irreplaceable woodworking tools he has likely lost, these words were likely more a means of comforting his wife than an honest reflection of his outlook.

Tyler Clarke/The Brandon Sun
Kazic Kontracting owner Husein Kazic and wife Hasiba watched on Sunday as firefighters tended to a fire that gutted his company’s office and storage space, at 548 Pacific Ave.
Tyler Clarke/The Brandon Sun Kazic Kontracting owner Husein Kazic and wife Hasiba watched on Sunday as firefighters tended to a fire that gutted his company’s office and storage space, at 548 Pacific Ave.

The Kazic Kontracting space, at 545 Pacific Ave., was one of the downtown Brandon businesses that burned to the ground during the weekend, beginning at midday on Saturday.

“I don’t even know why we’re still here,” he said, turning his gaze away from the gutted building.

Standing on Assiniboine Avenue to watch firefighters at work, Husein noted how frustrating it was to be so close to their property to the south and yet so far away.

Anxious to see whether anything of his had been spared from the fire’s destructive path, Husein said he’d been told by emergency personnel to not visit the property until further notice due to safety concerns.

It’s a direction he has both understood and respected, but one he has found nevertheless frustrating.

This isn’t the first time the Kazic family has lost almost everything.

Refugees of the Bosnian War, the couple fled their native country with their three children on Feb. 15, 1996, landing in Toronto before making connecting flights to Winnipeg and then Brandon.

Although bureaucrats selected the Wheat City as their final destination, Husein said it has proven a good fit for his family over the years.

Having worked in the construction industry during his time in Bosnia, Husein said he was able to pick up the trade almost immediately upon arriving in Brandon.

Where other industries might have been inaccessible due to language barriers he would have faced, he said the universal language of construction allowed him to continue working in the field.

The family opened their Kazic Kontracting headquarters on Pacific Avenue approximately seven years ago as a base of operations, including an office, storage space and woodworking shop.

A couple of decades after first landing in Brandon to start their lives over again, Husein said his family had successfully rebuilt everything they had in Bosnia, from the ground up.

“And then, after 22 years, almost I’ve lost everything again,” he said.

Despite facing their second significant setback, Husein said his family would persevere, as it always has.

He said their current collection of projects booked for the season, which include 10 houses and two larger buildings, would still get completed, albeit perhaps slightly behind schedule due to materials being lost in the fire.

“I believe we will be strong enough to continue,” he said. “If the first time didn’t smash me down, this time won’t either.”

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB

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