Residents relocated to hotels after fatal fire at Manitoba Housing downtown high-rise

Two days after she fled from her Manitoba Housing unit owing to a fire, Norma Bushie manoeuvred her wheelchair to the door of the Kennedy Street building on Wednesday afternoon, desperate to retrieve her identification cards and a charging cable for her cellphone.

Staff told the 37-year-old she could not return to her eighth-floor suite, which is one of dozens damaged by a blaze that killed one person on Monday and shuttered six of the building’s 16 storeys.

“I couldn’t take anything out of there,” Bushie said. “I’m not sure when we can get back in. We’re staying at a hotel right now.”

She is among the many people who are indefinitely displaced as the provincial government scrambles to restore access to the 58 units affected by the blaze.

“I’m stressed,” said Scott Ballantyne, 35, another resident of the eighth floor.

“I was just homeless for a year, and now I am homeless again.”

Ballantyne, who moved in to 444 Kennedy St. in October, said he lives across from the suite where the fire broke out. He saw a man enter that unit about 15 minutes before the fire started and recognized him as someone who stayed there along with a woman.

He said the pair were “well known” in the building and frequently had people coming in and out of their unit.

The Winnipeg Police Service has not announced the age or gender of the person who died in the fire, but said in a news release Wednesday that the major crimes unit is investigating.

“There is no additional update to provide regarding this individual,” the release said.

Ballantyne was able to briefly return to his suite to collect belongings on the night of the fire. While his suite had only water and smoke damage, other units did not fare so well — including the one in which the fire broke out.

“It was all burnt and charred,” he said, describing how he could see into the unit through an open door. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God.’”

Ballantyne said he is trying to keep his spirits up, and is grateful to have a room at the nearby Hotel Royal Plaza for the time being.

“I’ve got a place which may not be a five-star hotel, but it’s at least a roof over my head,” he said.

A provincial spokesperson confirmed the fire happened on the eighth floor, and affected 58 units from the third to eighth floors. The displaced tenants are staying in hotel rooms, and will continue to be supported with accommodations and meals.

Timelines for their return to the building are still being determined. The spokesperson said units on the eighth floor require extensive repairs, and those residents will need to be relocated to other available units.

Suites on other floors sustained smoke and water damage. Residents of those units are expected to return once the work is completed. Damage estimates are not yet available.

Numerous contractors, tradespeople and security guards were working at the building Wednesday.

Darrell Closson, who has lived on the 16th floor for seven years, said he was able to return to his suite about four hours after the fire was extinguished. He said he witnessed the body being removed in a body bag.

The building smelled strongly of smoke throughout the day Tuesday, but the stench subsided Wednesday after an air purification unit was installed, he said.

“It’s been quieter than usual,” he said about the building. “Tenants are slowly coming back, but (nearly) half the building is condemned.”

Closson said the building is plagued by drug use, drug dealing, sex work and gangs. Entrances are often unsecured, allowing access to people who don’t belong in the building.

Those issues are compounded by an array of tenants with addictions and mental health issues, he said.

“There’s always something to be on guard for. It’s not a safe place,” he said. “They’re housing really aggressive people with severe mental issues.”

The fatal fire was acknowledged during question period in the legislature Wednesday.

Progressive Conservative MLA Jeff Bereza described the incident as a tragedy, while he questioned the government about crime and seniors’ “serious safety concerns” in Manitoba Housing buildings.

“I want to send my condolence out to that family, and that whole community at 444 Kennedy,” Housing Minister Bernadette Smith said. “We’re standing with them. I was out there supporting the residents, supporting all of the support services that are in that building.”

Carolyn LaRiviere, who has been relocated to the Comfort Inn Winnipeg Airport, said she was able to briefly return to her seventh-storey suite on the night after the fire to grab her cat Abby-Lu.

The 65-year-old said the building was “dirty, burnt and wet” with about 2.5 inches of water covering the floor of her unit.

She echoed Closson’s concerns about safety in the building, saying she has experienced between six and seven fires in the 13 years she has lived there.

“I feel traumatized,” LaRiviere said. “They’ve made this building into a psychiatric ward.”

Smith said the government will continue to provide supports to the displaced residents and those living in other Manitoba Housing buildings.

—With files from Chris Kitching

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca