Residents of an Edmonton condo complex had their first chance to get back inside their units Thursday, days after fire tore through their building – meanwhile, Edmonton Fire Rescue officials said they were concerned over the number of fires caused by cigarette butts.
On Thursday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., residents were given 20 minutes each to go back into their suites in the condominium complex (1520 Hammond Gate), that was damaged in an early morning fire Monday, and retrieve some personal items.
“People have lost a lot of stuff, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” Resident Brittany Purkis said. “They’ve been really good, really efficient, I just want to go in and get some of our stuff.”
Residents will once again be allowed back into their suites Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
On Wednesday, investigators confirmed the blaze was started by a cigarette butt that had been left in a planter on a fourth floor balcony.
Damages have been estimated at $10 million.
It’s a worrying trend Fire Chief Ken Block hopes to help stop – although Block would not say whether smoking should be banned in multi-tenant complexes.
“It’s certainly not one that the fire chief should weigh in on,” Block said. “Smokers materials that aren’t extinguished in a proper manner are causing problems, so I’ll leave the debate in the public realm.”
Block urged smokers to properly extinguish their cigarettes, and to not use planters or soil to dispose of them.
In the last 10 years, officials said 717 fires, with an estimated total of $49.5 million in damages, have been blamed on cigarette butts.
With files from David Ewasuk
