A thick line of yellow police tape now surrounds the house in the 300 block of Ninth Street E. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Derelict properties

Fire at derelict house could have been prevented, says neighbour

Jun 14, 2019 | 2:17 PM

A house fire in Prince Albert’s midtown area this week represents the latest example of the city’s ongoing issue with derelict properties.

Fire crews were dispatched to the 300 block of Ninth Street E. early Thursday morning. Crews were able to save the house, but there was still significant damage. Police have confirmed they are treating the fire as suspicious. Penny Darling lives nearby and told paNOW she was not surprised to see the fire.

“I have an alarm system at the back and we get alerts every time somebody goes by there and when that house is very active, it could be 20 to 30 alerts a night,” she said.

The view from the alley. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Darling said she had spoken to police and bylaw about the activity multiple times, as well as some other nuisances.

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“And with that garbage collecting out front, I definitely knew something was going to happen,” she said.

A view of the house prior to the fire. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Darling said she and a few other neighbours have also tried to communicate with the landlord about the issues but had no success.

Bahram Makari told paNOW his son owns the property which was bought two years ago, and the previous tenant was asked to move out because they did not like some of the people who were coming and going.

“Our purpose was to demolish and build a new building because we had no clue [about the activity at the house]. The previous owner had too many problems and we didn’t know anything about it,” he said.

Makari confirmed there were multiple break-ins at the property, including one as recently as Wednesday night. He claimed he had the demolition permits but was awaiting word from SaskEnergy to remove the gas line.

Editor’s note: This story has been amended to make it clear Makari’s son is the landlord.

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Nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell