The cause of a fire at the Bow River Seniors Lodge in Canmore that caused up to $2 million in damages and left 16 people without a home is still under investigation.
Fire Chief Todd Sikorsky said Tuesday (Jan. 3) investigators are finished at the site and are in the course of examining what has been collected before they can make a determination.
Sikorsky said he could not say when the investigation will be complete, but did add that it includes the insurance company, a Town of Canmore investigator and a forensic engineer.
Bow Valley Regional Housing chief administrative officer Ian Wilson said the 16 residents out of 15 units affected by the fire have found new places to live or are still with friends or family. Residents are beginning to collect their belongings from the site.
“We are glad to say most of them are in a good spot at this point,” Wilson said.
Several residents have moved into a lodge in Cochrane, which had offered up space to those displaced by the fire last Friday (Dec. 30).
Two have been accommodated in Canmore’s lodge and two are in hospital for unrelated reasons.
Wilson said engineers are arriving on Friday (Jan. 6) to examine the structure, but it is expected residents will be displaced for a full year.
“Initial estimates are that no one will be able to be in there for a year; we may have to rebuild the whole wing,” he said, adding it may also tie into plans to renovate and expand the lodge.
BVRH is also currently in the process of renovating Cascade House in Banff, which is expected to be complete in April. Wilson said he could see some people accommodated in that building even if it was until the Canmore lodge was rebuilt.
Eight of the 15 units were destroyed by the fire, which started sometime after 3 a.m., while the remaining units have seen significant water damage. The rest of the 60-unit facility, which provides independent living for seniors, is fully operational.
Wilson said it is expected friends and family will accommodate those displaced by the fire in the short term. If that does not work out, he said, then BVRH and Alberta Housing, which owns the facility, will work with them to find an appropriate situation.
“We have been able to accommodate everyone in the short term, the long term is one of our next challenges,” he said.
Wilson said the lodge conducts monthly fire drills, which may seem tedious, but this time they paid off for residents and staff in the middle of the night.
“We have drills every month… that made a difference,” he said, adding staff went door-to-door in case anyone had taken their hearing aid out to sleep. “They did great – between staff, residents and the fire department, it is a miracle.”
Sikorsky estimated the damage at up to $2 million and said when fire crews arrived six minutes after a call, they encountered a ceiling fire with six to eight units engulfed in flames reaching up to 100 feet in the air.
Three fire trucks from Canmore and one from Banff responded with 25 firefighters on scene. Two were sent to hospital for smoke inhalation.
“We were able to stop the fire in the northeast wing and had all the seniors evacuated,” he said. “We were actually very fortunate because this is one of the most difficult structures to respond to because of mobility issues (for seniors).”
John Brumfit, a resident at the lodge, was surprised at the extent of the damage once he got outside late in the morning.
Brumfit’s unit was not damaged by the fire, but as it began burning he was woken up by staff and moved to another part of the facility.
“I was sleeping like a log,” he said. “The next thing I know I’m being shaken by a caregiver and told to get up.”
Wilson said the community is reaching out to support the seniors, but as it is early on in assessing the damage, nothing immediate is required.
However, once they have a handle on the situation, he said, BVRH may reach out for support and will let the community know what it needs.
