Single cigarette butt sparked condo blaze: fire inspector

A single cigarette was the cause of Monday morning’s condo fire in the city’s west end, an Edmonton fire inspector said.

Daryl Brennan, chief of investigations with the Edmonton Fire Department, said the cause of the blaze at Park Place South Hamptons condo complex was a cigarette in a planter pot in a condo unit.

“Sometimes there’s compounds and other combustible materials within the planting soil,” said Brennan. “It heats for a long time, it insulates itself and eventually it breaks out into open flames.”

About 400 people were evacuated from the four-storey condo when fire engulfed the top floor at 1:30 a.m. on Hammond Gate, off 199th Street and Lessard Road.

Brennan said it would be at least a week before residents can return to their suites to assess the damage, which estimates have pegged at $7 or $8 million.

“People have to be patient. It’s unfortunate that they are in this circumstance, but they need to have patience and just give it time, give them an opportunity to do things.” he said. “People will make appointments and they will be given a certain amount of time to go in, gather some of their materials, gather some pictures, the information they need for their insurance.”

Brennan said he didn’t know when residents might be able to move back in.

Dennis Begoray, a condo board member, said engineers went through the building and 20 of 186 suites have been entirely destroyed. Residents have been staying with family, friends and in hotels, he said.

Several hundred people attended a meeting at River West Christian Church Tuesday to get answers about insurance coverage and processes, access to vehicles and property, and some sense of when they might be home. A number of people left early, some in tears.

Residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting said they were told the extent of the damages depended on where the suites are located.

Luis Elizabeth, who lives in the south wing of the complex, said he was told it would be another two to three months before he could move back in, but people in the north wing were told it would be between one to two years.

Elizabeth said there were many residents at the meeting who indicated that they didn’t have insurance for their properties or suites.

He said was not sure how many people at the meeting were not covered, but that “it looked like a lot.”