By BRENDA KOSSOWAN
Advocate staff
Lacombe residents evacuated from an apartment fire early Thursday are being put up in motels and hotels until the building has been deemed safe.
Firefighters and ambulance crews had to get 60 people out of the three-storey Essex House apartment building on Northstar Drive after a tenant reported smoke at about 1:30 a.m.
Fire had broken out between walls in the building, causing extensive damage in six of the 39 suites, Lacombe Fire Chief Daryl Friesen said on Thursday.
Aided by firefighters from neighbouring departments in Blackfalds and Ponoka, Lacombe volunteers split into two crews — one to fight the fire and the other to evacuate the building.
The City of Lacombe bused shivering residents to a restaurant to warm up and have coffee while fire crews attacked the blaze. There were no injuries.
Groups of residents were allowed back into the building long enough to gather necessities, starting at 4:30 a.m., but no one has been allowed to move back in, said Friesen.
He was not able to say how long it would be before some of the suites can be reoccupied, stating that fire investigators want to make sure the building is safe.
It will likely be six weeks before anyone can move back into the six suites that took the bulk of the damage, said Sgt. Steve Murray of the Lacombe Police Service.
Investigators have not yet determined what caused the fire, said Friesen. Although it occurred between walls, that does not necessarily indicate an electrical problem, he said.
Investigators have found no evidence of arson, he said.
Victim Services volunteers and members of the Canadian Red Cross were at the scene to help comfort residents and to organize temporary housing for everyone.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com