Moose Jaw apartment building evacuated due to lack of life-saving measures, multiple fire code violations
Fire chief says 24 residents had to leave building
An apartment building in Moose Jaw — a city located 70 kilometres west of Regina — has been evacuated after city officials found multiple safety violations during an inspection on Monday.
The building is located at the corner of Stadacona Street and First Avenue N.W., according to a news release sent out by the City of Moose Jaw on Tuesday afternoon.
The inspection, which was conducted by City of Moose Jaw building officials, the Moose Jaw Fire Department and the Moose Jaw Police Service, revealed multiple fire code violations and a lack of life-saving measures, the city said.
Moose Jaw fire chief Rod Montgomery said smoke alarms were missing or did not have power, and the building's fire alarm pull stations were not functioning.
"That was certainly one of our number 1 concerns that triggered the evacuation," Montgomery said.
"We couldn't let people sleep in there at night, knowing that they had no means to perhaps even be alerted to the situation or even get out."
There were windows that could not be opened, exposed flooring on fire escapes, suites that did not have doors or locks, and combustable materials blocking emergency exits.
The inspection also revealed a gas leak, leading to the building's gas and power being shut off, the city said.
The evacuation was ordered under the province's Fire Safety Act as a result of the imminent safety risks to the current tenants, according to the news release. Residents were given until Tuesday afternoon to gather their personal belongings and leave, officials said.
Montgomery said that of the 18 units in the building, 16 were occupied. Approximately 24 people were affected by the evacuation. All of them have been offered services to immediately relocate through social services.
Montgomery said the building dates back to around 1910 and that there are no problems with the structure.
The fire chief said this is the first time in recent memory the department has had to evacuate a building due to safety issues, rather than structural problems caused by an actual fire.
The inspection was carried out after receiving complaints about the building, Montgomery said.
He said the building was last inspected in June, and that although there were some non-compliance issues at that time, the department was confident that it could work with the owners to address the problems.
"There's been some changes that happened since then and I think the things deteriorated rather quickly," Montgomery said.
The Moose Jaw Housing Authority is also providing applications for available housing units.
The John Howard Society is also offering additional support with hygiene packs, food and clothing donations.
City officials say they have started the process of contacting the registered owner of the property, and that those impacted by the evacuation will be able to return at a later date to gather the rest of their personal belongings.
Moose Jaw police chief Rick Bourassa confirmed that there are no criminal investigations connected to the evacuation and said he's proud of the response from officials throughout the city.
"This is the way it should work. We could be standing here talking about a much more serious situation involving loss of life," Bourassa said.
"It is comforting, reassuring, heartwarming to be outstanding here today, seeing that none of those things occurred, that everyone is safe, everyone is healthy, and everyone will be living in better conditions because of this."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
