Unsightly, unsafe, undeveloped E.K. lot traumatic reminder of 2022 fire, aftermath for neighbours By: Chris Kitching Posted: 4:05 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/01/2024 (625 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two years after an inferno destroyed an unfinished apartment block in East Kildonan, frustrated neighbours are tired of looking at an idle lot that is scattered with materials and being used for illegal dumping.

The property at Kimberly Avenue and London Street is triggering complaints to the city and safety concerns, while efforts to rebuild have led to a lawsuit involving the owner and insurance companies.

“It’s an eyesore and a safety hazard,” said Claude Pratte, who lives in a neighbouring East Kildonan Estates condominium complex, which was damaged by the spreading fire. “The trees that were burned are still standing. It looks like a warscape.”

Neighbours are concerned about a large pit that was once the basement of the wood-framed, four-storey apartment building, which was razed by a rapidly spreading fire Jan. 31, 2022.

Pratte and Giselle Majersky, who lives in the neighbouring 54-unit complex, said the site should be cleaned up and the pit filled in, if a rebuild doesn’t begin soon.

They worry someone could get injured if they breach the metal security fence and wander in.

“It’s unsafe,” Majersky said of the site. “People are nervous about it.”

Majersky and Pratte said the wind helped spread the afternoon fire to a parking garage at their complex. The garage was destroyed. Two condo buildings suffered varying levels of damage.

Residents of one building, including Pratte and his wife, Vivian, were unable to return home for 18 months. Majersky and residents of the other building were displaced for six months.

Majersky, president of the complex’s board, said condo owners are still dealing with shock, trauma and stress.

“We’re really grateful that nobody died in the fire, but the toll was enormous on all of us,” she said. “Whenever we hear a fire engine going down Kimberly, we stop and then think, ‘Thank God, it’s passed.’”

Investigators were unable to determine the fire’s cause, said Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Claude Chancy.

Condo owners were told the blaze started in the basement, where there were several possible ignition sources, but the cause couldn’t be narrowed down because the damage was so severe.

Majersky said it was “heartbreaking” to not know what started the fire.

“It became like a bonfire, because it was a huge wooden structure,” she said.

Since returning home, neighbours have complained to 311 about illegal dumping and the integrity of the fence at the lot, said Pratte and Majersky.

Dumped items, including bedroom furniture, were piled next to the fence when a Free Press reporter visited Monday.

Stacks or piles of rebar, wood and pallets were visible on the snow-covered property. A green shipping container sat in the northeast corner. At least one “no trespassing” sign was attached to the fence, which was twisted in some sections.

Last summer, vegetation became overgrown, said neighbours.

The property is owned by a numbered company — 7576901 Manitoba Ltd. — according to city and court records.

Henry Kasdorf, one of the company’s directors, said he would look into concerns about the site.

“That always happens, that people dump their stuff,” he said.

Kasdorf said the lot has been sitting too long for his liking, but the rebuild cannot begin until insurance-related matters are dealt with.

Since the fire, the city has received four complaints about “deficiencies” in the security fence, said spokesman Adam Campbell.

Staff were planning to visit the site by the end of this week to look for potential violations of Winnipeg’s neighbourhood livability bylaw, including garbage and illegal dumping.

Local Coun. Jason Schreyer is aware of the complaints. As time passes, the question becomes how long the property can be left in its current state, he said.

“I’m curious, myself, to see what they’re going to do,” he said of the property owner.

Regardless, the owner is obliged to ensure bylaws aren’t being violated, the councillor for Elmwood-East Kildonan said.

In December, the numbered company filed a lawsuit against five insurance companies, an adjusting firm and an adjuster, alleging breach of contract.

The civil suit claims the company hasn’t been able to proceed with a rebuild because of delays by the insurers and funds not being paid out.

The company said it had a builder’s risk policy, and the insurers admitted liability for the loss.

It claims the general contractor abandoned the rebuild because the defendants refused to make payments on an interim basis.

The company said the contractor filed a builder’s lien against the project, which effectively prevented the plaintiff from seeking further financing to complete the project.

The document claims projected costs for the rebuild have increased unnecessarily due to ongoing delays or inaction.

Statements of defence have not yet been filed.

Plans for an 84-unit residential complex and underground parking garage received city approval in 2020. The initial proposal called for a six-storey building, which some neighbours contested at city hall.

Pratte and Majersky hope lessons are learned to help prevent similar fires. Pratte questioned whether the apartment building should have been built further from the condo complex’s parking garage.

The garage has been rebuilt and the three-storey condo buildings have been repaired. Some units in one building were so badly damaged they had to be rebuilt from the studs up, said Pratte.

Pratte and his wife were fortunate, he said, because their unit wasn’t severely damaged.

They stayed in a hotel for a month and then moved into a rented home in Transcona, while their building was repaired. The couple’s insurance policy covered some of the rental costs.

Pratte and Majersky praised Winnipeg’s emergency services, including firefighters who battled to save their homes.

“We’re all grateful that we’re back home. Our (post-traumatic stress disorder) is going to be with us for a long time, and we just hope this doesn’t happen again,” said Majersky.

As for financial losses, an estimate was never revealed.

Manitoba Public Insurance received 29 auto damage claims associated with the fire, said spokeswoman Kristy Rydz.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca