Tenants at troubled apartment block evacuate after fire

A fire at a troubled North End apartment building that came under provincial scrutiny for an illegal mass eviction last summer forced residents out of their suites again Thursday morning.

The blaze broke out on the top floor of the three-storey Stratford Hall apartment block at 285 College Ave. around 7:30 a.m.

Residents of the building in Winnipeg’s St. John’s neighbourhood were able to self-evacuate and the city said no injuries had been reported.

Three windows on the front side of the building had been broken open, along with another window at the rear of the complex. Fire and smoke damage could be seen around the windows, while debris littered the sidewalk along College Avenue.

Fire crews snuffed out the flames just after 8 a.m.

Later in the morning, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service’s arson-detection dog, Scooby, was taken into the building.

A spokesperson for WFPS said the dog’s presence was standard procedure after a fire, and doesn’t necessarily mean arson is being investigated.

Stratford Hall made headlines last summer when the landlord, Kelly Vasas, evicted dozens of tenants on July 12, one day after he took ownership of the apartment block.

The mass eviction prompted an investigation by the provincial residential tenancies branch, which issued 32 orders and fined the owner $9,000 on behalf of nine tenants.

Tenants were allowed back into their suites a week later on July 19.

A provincial spokesperson said Thursday a total of a $18,000 in administrative penalties have been levied on Vasas, which are currently under appeal with the Residential Tenancies Commission.

There were five additional orders issued to the landlord since last July, covering repairs and an issue with a security deposit.

Lisa Naylor, consumer protection minister at the time, said then more fines could be levied if additional tenants participate in the investigation.

The province said Thursday any tenants with concerns should contact the RTB for assistance.

Vasas, who was on scene after Thursday’s fire, dodged a Free Press reporter. It wasn’t immediately clear when, or if, residents would be able to return to the building.

Karin Harper-Penner, who owned the apartment block with her husband Patrick Penner before selling the building to Vasas, was also parked outside.

She declined to speak to the Free Press, only saying she no longer owned the building and was visiting another apartment block behind Stratford Hall on Charles Avenue.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca