Penhorwood condo residents will be allowed time to retrieve belongings

Residents of the Penhorwood condos in Fort McMurray got some good news and bad news on Friday.

The residents were forced out of the 7 building complex early in March, after an inspection found the buildings unsafe for habitation. Since then, residents were given only a few minutes to remove belongings, and were originally told they might never be able to access the buildings again.

On Friday Global News learned that residents will be allowed back in to get more possessions as early as April 18th.

Only one unit can be accessed in each building at a time, and only two buildings can be accessed at the same time, so the entire process could take a month.

Residents will be advised that while Penhorwood's structural engineers agreed temporary access is okay, not all the experts feel it's safe.

Meanwhile, residents are being told to secure temporary accommodations for up to two years. It will take at least three months to determine if the buildings can be repaired, and if that's the case, the work will take at least a year.

If the buildings can't be repaired, they will be demolished.