Fire update

Written by Holly Hashimi
Monday, 06 February 2012 08:23

(Courtney Palmer)

Progress made in Parsons Landing fire investigation

Regional Emergency Services' Fire Prevention Branch Fire Investigators have made progress in the fire investigation at Parsons Landing, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo announced.

At this point the findings of the investigation are as follows:

• This fire does not appear to be suspicious in nature.
• The fire originated on the second floor, south facing balcony of the north wing.
• The sprinkler systems worked on all four floors of the building.
• The sprinkler systems were effective in stopping the spread of the fire on the first, second, and third floors. It is important to note that during a fire, only the sprinkler heads in direct proximity to the fire area are designed to activate.
• Insufficient power supply caused some alarm bells in the building not to sound.

Fire Prevention Branch Fire Investigators continue to investigate the cause of the fire. Further details will be released when available.

For information related to specific units or belongings retrieval, residents affected by the fire are reminded to speak with Shelter Canadian Properties Limited property management company at 780-748-4355, as well as with their insurance company.

Evacuees still requiring support, such as shelter or food, can contact Neighbourhood and Community Development during regular business hours at 780-743-7940.

Reception and lodging at school closing today

The reception and lodging facility at École McTavish for those affected by the Parsons Creek Drive fire will be closing this afternoon, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m., the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo announced.

Evacuees still requiring further information or support can contact Neighbourhood and Community Development during regular business hours at 780-743-7940.

As the reception and lodging facility is demobilizing, there is no further requirement for volunteers. We appreciate the community interest in supporting evacuees and continue to encourage volunteerism in the community.

Residents who have been affected by the fire are advised to speak with Shelter Canadian Properties Limited property management company in regard to their units, at 780-748-4355, as well as with their insurance company. The building owner will be coordinating the retrieval process of personal property for those apartments that are safe to enter later.

-Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

School open to students and staff; still accessible to evacuees

Ecole McTavish Junior High Public School will be fully operational to staff and students Tuesday morning with exception of its fine arts wing.

The school, which has been acting as a staging area for evacuees of the Parsons Creek Drive fire was closed to students on Monday to accommodate the need. However, it did remain open to staff.

Staff and students are asked to report to the front of the school Tuesday morning while evacuees and emergency personnel are asked to enter through the fine arts wing on the right side of the building.

"This area will be isolated from staff and students to allow us to get back to business as usual, and provide the needed privacy of those affected by this devastating fire," said Dennis Parsons, superintendent of the Fort McMurray Public School District. "We very much want to welcome our neighbours any way we can, while maintaining normalcy for our staff and students."

Additional information for displaced residents

(Fort McMurray, AB – January 6, 2012) – The following information has been prepared for residents displaced by last night’s fire at 350 Parsons Creek Drive, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo announced today.

Residents are advised to register with Emergency Social Services at École McTavish so that they may receive the appropriate personal assistance. Community Response Team (CRT) members are on site and are identifiable by blue vests.

Temporary Housing

• Cots will be available at École McTavish for those needing accommodations Monday night. Please see members of the Community Response Team (CRT).
• People in the community have offered rooms, meals and showers. If interested, information is available near the doorway on information boards.

Long-term Housing

• The CRT has housing information sheets available at École McTavish. They also have applications for available units from the Wood Buffalo Housing Development Corporation.
• Wood Buffalo Housing Development Corporation's offices will be open until 8:00 p.m. Monday night. They will also be open Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Offices are located at the Haxton Centre, in downtown Fort McMurray at 10500 Morrison Street.
• Several property managers have put listings of available properties for rent. Information is posted on boards at the school.

Food, Medical, Pets

• Food is available at École McTavish. The Salvation Army Community Response Unit is serving soup. Pizza will also be available after 4:30 p.m.
• A pharmacist will be at École McTavish until 5:30 p.m. Monday. The pharmacist will have diabetes testing equipment on site from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• For those still missing pets, the Fort McMurray SPCA have staff on site trying to catch loose animals. They also have short-term pet housing available and supplies if anyone needs them.

All donations of clothes or toys should be directed to The Salvation Army, who will make sure these donations are available to anyone who needs them.

Residents can retrieve cars and important items Tuesday morning

Residents of 350 Parsons Creek Dr. had some of their questions answered at an information session held at Ecole McTavish this afternoon.

The meeting, which was held by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, allowed residents to share their concerns, which included whether the sprinkler system was functioning and if they’d get their damage deposits back.

The municipality, fire department, property manager and owner of the building were present to answer questions.

As of 4 p.m. today there are 258 evacuees registered at Ecole McTavish—this number includes both people in the affected building as well as those in the adjacent building, which was evacuated as a precautionary measure.

There is no timeline for those wanting to move back into the buildings and some are staying at Ecole McTavish temporarily.

Residents will return tomorrow to retrieve cars, starting at 8 a.m. They are also allowing some select residents access to apartments, for about five minutes, to retrieve important belongings, such as identification and medication. Access is dependent on the condition of the suite.

-Reporting by Ashley Gaboury

RCMP update on Parson's Creek Drive fire

Wood Buffalo RCMP are still on scene this morning at the site of a fire that broke out last night at Parson’s Creek Landing in the Timberlea area of Fort McMurray.

Police were called to the structure fire at around 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 6, to assist fire crews with scene containment as well as evacuations

Emergency Social Services for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo were activated, and a number of other agencies such as Utility Companies, the SPCA and Victim Services, were on scene to assist. Thus far there have been no reports of casualties or injuries as a result of the fire. Although no dollar value has yet been set, the level of property damage is considered to be significant.

The fire appears to have been held to the North wing of Parson’s Creek Landing apartment complex, however residents from all three wings of the complex were evacuated as well as those residing in the neighbouring building; Laird’s Landing. Residents of Laird’s Landing have since been allowed to return to their homes. The evacuation will likely remain in effect for the next 24-48 hours as fire investigators and police continue to investigate and ensure the area is safe for re-entry. Evacuees have been directed to the temporary shelter set-up at Ecole McTavish School. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

If you have information about this, or any other crime(s), please call the Wood Buffalo RCMP at (780) 788-4000, or if you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1.800.222.8477 (TIPS), by internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by SMS (check your local Crime Stoppers [www.crimestoppers.ab.ca] for instructions on how to do).  You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers, and if you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest(s), the recovery of stolen property, and/or a seizure of illicit drugs, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

Fire update: 350 Parsons Creek Drive(Courtney Palmer)

Investigations are underway for the cause of the apartment fire at 350 Parsons Creek Dr. last night, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo announced.

Emergency-response teams were notified of the fire at approximately 11:30 p.m. last night. The fire has been under control since approximately 1:30 a.m.

At this time, there are no reported injuries.

Affected residents are urged to register with Emergency Social Services at École McTavish, 352 Parsons Creek Drive. In order to provide personalized assistance, residents must register in person.

Impacted residents are advised to contact their insurance companies, and their landlord or condo board for next steps.

Donations are not being accepted at Ecole McTavish or at municipal offices at this time. Information regarding community groups who are accepting donations for impacted residents will be made available on Twitter (@RMWoodBuffalo) and Facebook later today.

For more information, residents are encouraged to call the Emergency Management Hotline 780-799-8000.

-Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

'...propane tanks were exploding on the balconies'

Residents of 350 Parson’s Creek Dr. fled in terror as their home went up in flames.

Laura Calderwood was woken by the building’s fire alarm.

“I’m not sure what time it was,” said Calderwood. “We went out in our sock feet and there was nobody in the hallway.

Calderwood’s boyfriend Tom looked out a window and saw fire so the couple, with their puggle Daisy ran down the stairs from their second-floor home.(Courtney Palmer)

“As we were running, propane tanks were exploding on the balconies,” she said.

Daisy was startled and jumped from her owner’s arms and is currently missing. While the dog is wearing a collar, the numbers associated with it are phones that are still in the building.

If you see Daisy contact Calderwood at 780-715-6649.

Ecole McTavish has been closed to students for the day to accommodate those evacuated from the fire.

Social media has been buzzing with activity of those offering help and a place to stay to those displaced by the fire.

CONNECT will be updating the story as more information comes to light.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will be releasing more information at 8:30 a.m.