Council and community members are calling for something to be done at the site of an abandoned building in downtown Edmonton, which has been the site of 18 fires so far this year.
The most recent fire happened Wednesday morning at what used to be a transitional housing complex called Dwayne’s Home at the corner of 102 Street and 100 Avenue.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said crews were called to the blaze around 4:20 a.m.
The battalion chief said the fire appeared to have started on the third floor. EFRS said people who called 911 reported seeing flames coming from the back of the building.
Capt. Norm Barthel said the fire was contained to one suite, but there were challenges because the building is abandoned.
“You don’t know who’s in there, you have to make sure it’s clear. If it were somewhere where people were, we’d know there was people there. Here we’re unsure,” Barthel said.
Edmonton police were called in to help with traffic control.
EFRS said the fire was under control at 5:09 a.m. and out by 5:43 a.m.
One firefighter was assessed on scene by EMS as a precaution, according to a spokesperson with EFRS. No other injuries were reported.
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The cause of the fire is under investigation.
‘It is scary,’ resident says of ongoing issues at building
The complex was converted from a hostel to a transitional housing facility for homeless and lower-income Edmontonians in February 2013. Since the summer of 2021, the place has been vacant.
This is the second time in less than a week a fire broke out at the building, according to EFRS. The fire department was called to the location four days ago for a similar fire. Since then, a security guard was brought in.
In both 2014 and 2021, the building was deliberately set on fire, according to Edmonton police.
Since January of this year, the City of Edmonton said there have been 18 fires at the property. Investigations conducted by the Community Property Safety Team (CPST) have concluded the property is “a significant risk to the public.”
Danica Dreger has lived in a nearby apartment building for two years and said she recalls three major fires, including the two in the last week. With the fire just a few days ago, she said she could hear glass exploding.
“There is constantly a smell of smoldering that a few of us have reported because we have concerns about it. So we’re just concerned it’s going to get worse and worse,” Dreger said. “It is scary.
“I think the city needs to do something about it because it’s a huge use of our resources and our fire department. I think I saw five trucks respond last night.”
She believes the property should be gated off and monitored by security 24 hours a day.
O-day’min Councillor Anne Stevenson admitted the property as it current stands is “not the type of property that we want to be seeing in our community.”
“It’s definitely a site that’s notorious in the community. It’s one that I pass by quite frequently and not what we want to be seeing in our community,” she said. “It’s causing a lot of issues and concerns.”
Stevenson said the city approved rezoning of the site a few months ago for a new development called Sedona Multi-Unit Development. The rezoning allows for a multi-unit residential building of up to six storeys.
“It’s a design I think is really fantastic. I think it will contribute very positively to the area,” Stevenson said. “The best case scenario is that this property is redeveloped into an active, vibrant space and I really want that to happen as soon as possible.”
Stevenson said EFRS has been monitoring the property closely, trying to keep it safe. The city said the CPST has issued two orders under the Municipal Government Act to secure the structure. The most recent order requires the property owner to secure the building, install security fencing and provide onsite security 24 hours a day.
The property owners have appealed that order, saying they are seeking clarity on exactly what it means. The appeal will be heard on Sept. 20.
“We are not suggesting that we are not going to comply. What we are trying to do is get a better understanding of the order itself,” said Michael Surkovic, VP of asset management with ProCura. “Because what we had in a previous order within weeks before that was to spend a substantial amount of money to superboard the building, according to the specs the city provided. And we did that. Then within weeks, we’re receiving another order.
“We want to understand and get a better rationale as to why that is being requested, what that’s going to involve and how we can work collaboratively with the adjacent properties and the city to resolve the bigger issue.”
Surkovic said the bigger issue at hand is the disorder and crime in the downtown core, and they’d like to see more support from the city when it comes to tackling the issue.
“This is really about an ongoing issue — socioeconomic issue — in the entire city of Edmonton related to crime and homelessness. And unfortunately, there hasn’t been a collaborative approach with the city and the adjacent owners of property to look at what we can do collaboratively together to address this issue.”
ProCura CEO George Sthluessel said the company has applied for a demolition permit for the site, which has yet to be approved. The city said the demolition permit is under review.
A development permit has not yet been submitted.
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