EDMONTON - About 150 people who live in a newly constructed Leduc condominium complex will have until the end of March to leave their homes because of what fire department officials describe as “critical life-safety concerns” at the building.
A statement released by the City of Leduc Fire Department says a Fire Safety Codes Order was issued Wednesday, evacuating all residents of Phase 1 of the Bellavera Green Condo Complex at 6201 Grant MacEwan Blvd. The building has been inhabited for only a year.
Fire Chief Ernie Polsom is quoted as saying the order was issued “after numerous, serious Alberta Fire and Building Code violations were revealed, yet were left unaddressed by the building owners.”
“The City of Leduc has taken extraordinary measures to address several life-safety code deficiencies that have extended occupancy of this building,” the statement reads. “However, these measures are no longer sustainable.”
Residents will be given until March 31 to leave the building.
A press conference is slated for Leduc at 10 a.m.
According to background information released by the City of Leduc on Thursday morning, fire inspections at the property have identified a number of “serious deficiencies,” including numerous Alberta Fire and Building Code violations.
The violations include a fire alarm system that was not properly installed and could leave the building completely without smoke detectors and fire alarms.
The City of Leduc says construction has stopped on the second phase of the condominium complex, and the property is now considered to be an abandoned construction site.
The city has provided $150,000 to temporarily address some of the issues, and the funds will be recovered later through property taxes.
The fixes are described as “short-term, stop-gap measures” that depended on further construction by the developer of the property.
The temporary measures include a 24-hour fire watch.
© Shaw Media Inc., 2012. All rights reserved.