Evacuees from an apartment building fire will not be allowed to go back home for at least three months.
On June 19, a fire broke out in a third-floor suite in the Villa Anna Apartments at 4465 Michigan Avenue. The fire resulted in major damage to the suite and smoke and water damage throughout the building.
Powell River Regional Emergency Program provided 45 residents, many of whom are elderly with mobility issues, with emergency care through Emergency Social Services (ESS) funding. ESS personnel have been assisting the residents to find alternate housing.
On Saturday, June 23, residents were informed that the restoration of the building will take a minimum of three months. At this time, they only have access to essential personal items through Powell River’s fire department.
Canadian Red Cross disaster management volunteers are present in the community and are working with City of Powell River, regional emergency program and local community organizations such as ESS and Salvation Army to help support the residents. In addition to extensions of emergency housing, food and clothing, the major needs are temporary and long-term housing, moving, storage and assisting vulnerable seniors with cleaning and packing up their belongings.
Ryan Thoms, regional emergency program coordinator, said the residents are going to need community help. “All their personal belongings have to get moved out of the apartment and put into storage,” he said. “Everything has to be cleaned, because of the contamination from smoke and water.”
Both the Red Cross and Salvation Army are able to take donations to assist the residents, Thoms said, and both are creating Powell River funds. “It’s quite a sad story for these poor people,” he said.
Mayor Dave Formosa said the whole regional emergency team came together seamlessly to assist the residents. A representative from the insurance company commented that he had never seen firefighters go to these levels, Formosa added. Stan Westby, chief administrative officer, is working closely with Thoms and the fire chief, Dan Ouellette, to assist the residents. “We now are the phone number for those folks, if they feel abandoned and don’t know what to do next,” said Formosa. “Our main message to them is that they’re not in this alone.”
Formosa also said the residents need assistance from the community. “We’re relying on the good folks to help us do that, for the community to come together.”
Reverend Maxine Pirie is one of the residents of the building as well as the minister of Powell River United Church across the street, which initially provided shelter to the residents. “We’re all coping very well, all things considered,” she said. “At the meeting, everybody was concerned about everybody else. It has pulled us together.”
Pastor Carol Dennison of Faith Lutheran Church, is also a resident of the building. She said all of the emergency personnel, including Powell River firefighters and ESS volunteers, have been wonderful. “Everybody has just been great,” she said. “They’re doing their very best to get what we need out when we need it.”
The Canadian Red Cross Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) Depot at Powell River General Hospital, 5000 Joyce Avenue, will be accepting donations. Interested readers should make a cheque or money order to the Canadian Red Cross and indicate that it is for the BC Response Fund, Powell River Fire.
