A picture taken on Sunday outside the Rivercrest Apartment building. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Fire investigation

Weekend fire highlights concerns with Prince Albert apartment building

Jan 8, 2024 | 5:00 PM

A weekend fire at Prince Albert’s Rivercrest apartment building marked the fifth time in three weeks that emergency crews were dispatched to the building.

Sunday’s fire occurred shortly after noon and the firefighters who entered the structure, were able to quickly extinguish the fire, containing the damage to one suite on the fourth floor.

There were no injuries to report.

Both Prince Albert police and the fire department responded to Sunday’s structure fire. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

As per the fire department’s Facebook page, there have been five calls to the building since Dec. 16 of last year.

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On the morning of Jan. 6, a rubbish fire was found outside at the rear of the building and was extinguished. There were no reported injuries or damages.

An incident on Boxing Day involved light smoke being found throughout the three upper floors. The investigation determined combustible material was set on fire in a stairwell.

The material was quickly extinguished and the building was ventilated to clear smoke. A search of the structure was also done to ensure no other fires were started. No injuries were reported.

On the morning of Dec. 17, firefighters extinguished a fire in the laundry room of the building. There was substantial damage to the room, however, it was confined to one room.

And then on the night of Dec. 16, the Prince Albert Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire. On arrival, a fire was located beside the building and extinguished. The building was ventilated of smoke until cleared. There were no injuries to report.

There is no lock at the apartment building to prevent any unwanted visitors. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

When paNOW reached out to the city’s bylaw manager, she confirmed their members visit the building at least three to four times a week and are in constant contact with the owner concerning issues surrounding garbage and overall building security.

While Trina Wareham confirmed there had been at least one written warning in the past, she was aware of a separate active order in place by the city’s fire department. This was also confirmed by Fire Chief Kris Olsen who said it had to do with the alarm system, or lack thereof one.

Olsen acknowledged an increase in incidents at the building but added they’ve been lucky so far in that all the fires have been contents-related and haven’t spread to the actual structure.

“But it’s only a matter of time,” he pointed out, noting the potential for many individuals to be displaced.

Olsen also explained that outdoor fires, which include garbage bins and ones involving encampments, were up over 100 per cent from 2021 to 2022, and he predicts a similar increase for last year.

When paNOW went to the building on Monday and talked to a resident who claimed to have lived there for 10 years, he said issues escalated since the new UK-based owners took over months ago.

In addition to no working lights in the front entrance area, the man said there are constant issues with drug users who break into mailboxes and defecate in the hallways.

When paNOW reached out to Ward 2 Councillor Terra Lennnox-Zepp, she indicated she was more than happy to look into and review the concerns.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell