Second Bissell fire not arson, official says
Two blazes in less than a year a ‘coincidence’
It’s “an unfortunate coincidence” that the Bissell Centre Thrift Shoppe’s permanent and temporary locations were both destroyed by fire in less than a year, but neither was deliberately set, says Edmonton Fire Rescue spokeswoman Laura Ruddock.
Saturday’s fire at the Thrift Shoppe’s temporary location at 11817 80th St. originated in the ceiling space on the north side of the building. An exact cause is not known due to the extent of the damage, but Ruddock said investigators have ruled out arson.
“The place is in ruins. It’s very difficult to determine exactly what caused it,” she said.
The Bissell Centre said the recent fire destroyed 100,000 pieces of clothing and household items meant for homeless and low-income Edmontonians and caused an estimated $950,000 in damages.
Less than a year ago, a fire originating in the sorting area of the permanent Bissell store location, at 118th Avenue and 88th Street, caused about $900,000 in damages. That fire was ruled an accident.
“There were no accelerants or anything else found at the scene to lead investigators to believe it was arson,” Ruddock said of the September fire.
The 13 Thrift Shoppe employees have been offered counselling services to help them deal with the stress of a second fire in such a short period of time, the Bissell Centre said in a news release.
“Today key staff gathered together to strategize and draft an emergency response plan to continue supporting our affected employees and the 5,000 to 6,000 clients affected by the fire,” Bissell Centre CEO Mark Holmgren said in the statement.
In the meantime, a storage unit has been set up south of the Bissell Centre East Building located at 10527-96 St. to store donations. Starting Tuesday, staff and volunteers will be on-site from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accept household items and clothing for all seasons and sizes.
Mayor Don Iveson said he has asked the community services department to look into how the city can help the Thrift Shoppe recover.
“It’s tragic what’s happened there, now for the second time, but certainly we’ll want to work with them to get them back on their feet, they provide a really important service to the community,” Iveson said.
Donations can also be made online at bissellcentre.org/donate/its-easy-andsimple.