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Two months, four structure fires – all caused by the same thing

Sep 1, 2017 | 3:33 PM

LETHBRIDGE –  A total of 24 apartments are uninhabitable, with six of the units having sustained major heat, smoke and water damage, and 46 people are homeless as a result of Thursday’s apartment fire on the north side.

There is no damage estimate available, as the Fire Prevention officer has yet to speak with all the residents and the property owners.  However, he expects it to be a high dollar value and he was able to confirm the blaze was due to improper disposal of smoking materials.

The fire consumed a significant portion of one of the four complexes located at the corner of 23rd avenue and 13th street north.

Fire officials received a 911 call around noon. A total of 21 firefighers from three stations arrived at the structure a short time later, to find part of the north-east building engulfed in flames. The fire started on the exterior of the buiilding with witnesses stating they saw flames on a first floor balcony.

 

 

Fortuantely, only one resident was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and fire officials don’t believe any pets succumbed to the fire.

As to the cause of the blaze, Fire prevention officer Adam Saturley, underscores the situation is a replay of other incidents they have been called to recently.

“What we were able to determine, was that the fire was improper disposal of smoking materials – once again, we’re dealing with another structure where we’ve had….in the last two months we’ve had four structures that have had damage resulting from the exact same cause.”

Obviously, fire officals are highly concernced about the frequency of these incidents.

“You can see the number of people who have been displaced from this property.”

Saturley went on to run down the other issues. “Conditions are very dry, we still have the fire ban on, so, we’re asking people to be very cautious and very careful in the way that they smoke and extinguish their cigarette butts.”

If you’re smoking, Saturley has a specific message for somkers.

“We’re asking people to put it (cigarette butts) into a non-combustible container, so thata would be a metal container, and if they can have water in it, even sand if you can add that as well.”

The sand helps to keep hte container weighted down in the wind and the water will help ensure the cigarette is out.

In regards to the 46 people who have been displaced, Saturley says they are being taken care of by the property management company, as well as the Red Cross and Victim Services from Lethbridge Police.

 It is expected the insurance company will attend the scene to conduct their own assessment and determine what will be done with the structure. Saturley says now that the fire investigtion is concluded, and that the fire has been deemed accidental, the property has been released back to the owners. From this point, it will be left to the building owner and the insurance company to determine what will happen to the structure.

North side apartment building badly damaged in fire