Officials investigating a fire that destroyed a south side condominium that was under construction in late September have released an update on the case, and an updated damage estimate.
On Wednesday, Edmonton Fire Rescue and Edmonton Police Service investigators said the blaze that destroyed the ‘Rutherford Landing’ condominium complex in southwest Edmonton on September 29, was deliberately set.
“We had some initial video of the early stages of the fire, which helped us determine where the fire originated,” Fire investigator Shayne Page said. “Then it also helped us determine the cause of the fire.”
Firefighters were first called to the building, located at 119 Street and 21 Avenue SW at about 2 a.m. Sunday, September 29.
At the fire’s peak, about 85 firefighters were on the scene of the three-alarm blaze – it took crews seven hours to gain the upper hand, and a number of neighbouring homes had to be evacuated due to intense heat and exploding propane tanks, that caused significant damage.
EPS Arson Detectives are still working on the case, and anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Officials said damages are now pegged at $20 million – early estimates in the days following the fire left damages at about $17 million for the condo complex alone.
The city called the blaze one of the costliest fires in Edmonton’s history.
