Fire investigators continue to comb through what’s left of a Southdale apartment complex that went up in flames early Sunday morning.
Tenants in 24 suites have been made homeless as a result of the fire.
It could be days before investigators know exactly what sparked the devastating blaze that tore through the two adjoining buildings on Beaverhill Boulevard, near Fermor Avenue.
Resident manager George Park told Global News residents that were forced to flee when the fire broke out won’t be able to retrieve items for a while.
“We’ve been told it could be anyway from three to eight days and they’ll give us a clearance, and then we’ll contact them, and they’ll go back in and get what they can get out,” Park said.
Park said a fence has been put up around the building and security is monitoring the scene 24 hours a day, even the locks on the doors have been changed. It is expected the building will eventually be torn down.
Park said many of the tenants are staying in motels or with friends or family. The city’s emergency social services was also called in to help people displaced by the fire.
Winnipeg Fire Service said two of the families who lost their homes did not have tenant insurance, including a family of eight.
Park said two parents and six children were living in a three bedroom suite for the last six or seven years.
“We are trying to accommodate them, by finding someplace where we can put them up for a while, until we get another three bedroom that will be available.”
Park said when tenants sign a lease they’re encouraged to get insurance, but they can’t force people to get it.
“We even try when we’re moving them in, to give them an example of why they need it and what had happened to other people that didn’t,” Park explained. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work.”
“It’s not very expensive,” said Rey Girardin, with One Insurance Group.
“You can get a tenant policy for as little as $200 a year, and that gives you basic coverage, which usually starts about $15-20,000 in limits.”
Girardin said tenant insurance provides peace of mind and helps replace items that we lost during a catastrophic event, such as a fire.
“Everything from their clothing to furnishings, to even plates and cutlery, and all their electronic equipment,” Girardin said. “Not to mention the additional coverage that are included, such as additional living expenses that will cover off in the event that you can’t go back to your unit after a loss. It will provide coverage for you to find additional lodging.”
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Girardin added tenant insurance also protects you if you’re found negligent.
“A good example of that is if you are renting an apartment and you cause damage to your apartment, and subsequently the whole building is damaged from that, your liability would respond. If you are found negligent for that loss, and the whole building, and the other tenants that reside there.”
Girardin said if you can’t afford to pay for your policy all at once, ask your provider to see if you can set up a quarterly or monthly payment plan.
“You can pay $250 now or break it up monthly, or in the event of a loss, do you have $20,000 sitting there, that you can replace all of your belongings immediately? That’s what the insurance provides.”
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