NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — “We’re scared, lost and alone.”

Ryann Matos and her fiancé have been racing against the clock ever since a fire gutted Royal Crown Lodging last week.

Matos tells 12 News she was at work when the fire tore through the building, killing two tenants and injuring at least five others. More than two dozen tenants were displaced, including Matos and her fiancé.

“We all lost everything we’ve ever had,” Matos said.

Matos said her fiancé has been having recurring nightmares of escaping the flames, adding that he did everything in his power to get as many tenants to safety as he could.

“My fiancé was responsible for nine people getting out of that,” she said. “He used his body as a human ladder to help others selflessly get to safety.”

While she’s thankful her fiancé made it out safely, Matos said she’s devastated by what she’s lost.

“I had the flag that covered my aunt’s casket when she passed,” Matos said. “I had my dad’s dog tags … [and] the article from when my aunt was sworn into the U.S. Army.”

“All of their memorabilia and all of their memories,” she continued. “They’re all gone.”

Matos said she and her fiancé have been living in a hotel since the fire, thanks in part to the city which has supplied them with vouchers.

But Matos is worried about how long those vouchers will last.

“The shelters are full,” she said. “If we don’t have hotel vouchers, then we’re back on the street.”

Josh Amaral, New Bedford’s director of housing and community development, told 12 News the city is doing everything in its power to help those impacted by the fire.

The hotel vouchers will “buy them more time” to find a new place to live, according to Amaral, adding that they are not designed to be a permanent solution.

“Funds do run out eventually,” he said. “That day is always looming … the hotel situation won’t continue.”

Amaral said the city has connected those impacted with local agencies to assist them in their search for a new place to live. Those agencies will also help them apply for rental assistance.

But finding housing for more than two dozen people is easier said than done, according to Amaral.

“We’re experiencing a housing shortage,” he said. “There was a time where to move someone from one apartment to another wasn’t that hard — but right now it is very difficult to find an apartment.”

Amaral said anyone who wishes to help those impacted can donate to Rise Up For Homes online.