About 50 people remain locked out of their homes over the long weekend as emergency crews assess the damage caused by Thursday’s fire at View Towers.
Water damage and concerns about asbestos mean residents will be displaced for days or even weeks.
The fire, reported at 7 a.m., was sparked by a lit cigarette, and sent flames shooting out from a ninth-floor apartment. More than two dozen firefighters from Victoria and Saanich tackled the blaze. One resident and seven Victoria police officers, who went in to evacuate the building, were treated for smoke inhalation.
On Friday, Victoria fire platoon Capt. Jeff Zigay gave the Times Colonist a look inside the suite, which was a blackened shell. Springs were all that was left of the bed and cigarette butts could still be seen in a pile on the floor. The air had the strong smell of smoke and the entire east wing of the ninth floor was blocked off and guarded by security staff.
“It was just an incinerator in here,” Zigay said.
While the concrete walls prevented the fire from spreading to neighbouring suites, it also intensified the heat of the flames.
“They were shooting 700 gallons of water a minute for five minutes straight,” Zigay said.
“That’s an amazing amount of water getting dumped in here so … that explains the amount of water damage downstairs.”
Dozens of people attended a meeting for displaced residents at the Fernwood Community Centre Friday morning to get information on what’s next for them.
“It’s a very stressful situation for them so emotions are running a bit high,” said Kyla Ferns of the Salvation Army.
Those who cannot stay with family were put up in a hotel Friday night; the University of Victoria will then provide beds at its residence until Tuesday morning.
The Red Cross and Salvation Army are providing services such as food, vouchers and emotional support to displaced residents.
Doug Brinkworth, who lives on the seventh floor, said there are still few answers as to when people will get to go home.
“My apartment’s perfectly fine as far as just looking at it, but they’re concerned about air quality,” he said. Brinkworth said after the stay at UVic over the weekend, he’s not sure where he’ll live.
Another resident, Frederiko Underwood, said he’s impressed by the range of social services provided by emergency management staff.
“They’re doing a superb job right now and I’m proud to have people who care, helping us out [and] get by here through this turmoil,” he said. “These people are really helping us.”
Underwood said residents have been allowed to go back into the building to get medication and other personal belongings.
Rob Johns, of the Victoria Emergency Management Agency, said 77 units in the 350-unit building are affected but some are vacant. Johns said while people’s floors are wet, not a lot of personal property was damaged.
“What we’ve heard is that View Towers and the restoration company are working hard to try and assess any of the safety needs and remediate those and get the rooms back up and running,” Johns said.
“They have told us it’s likely days for several of the suites and weeks or even months for several others.”
