Thousands of Fort McMurray affordable housing tenants warned not to return Wednesday
'We don't want any of our tenants to end up getting sick when they come back,' says housing corporation exec
Thousands of Fort McMurray, Alta., tenants are being warned they won't be allowed to re-enter their homes — not even temporarily to pick up their belongings — during this week's voluntary re-entry due to concerns related to toxic smoke.
"We don't want any of our tenants to end up getting sick when they come back," said Greg Elsasser, Wood Buffalo Housing Corporation (WBHC) acting president, following the assessment of buildings by structural engineers, adjusters and an environmental hygienist.
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"What they found so far is that there are health concerns related to the smoke, which is toxic."
The corporation is providing housing to between 3,000 and 4,000 seniors, low and middle-income residents.
There's a concern that until the buildings are cleaned, that some of our tenants may experience health issues if they're allowed to return.- Greg Elsasser, Wood Buffalo Housing Corporation acting president
After a wildfire destroyed 2,400 structures and forced 94,000 people to evacuate Fort McMurray the first week of May, assessment began last week on 1,369 units in buildings throughout the city, including downtown, Timberlea and the lower townsite.
Most of WBHC's units are still intact. But despite appearances, Elsasser said they still pose a risk.
"A fire is not just burnt wood," said Elsasser. "It's a mixture of buildings which contain toxic substances that also end up in the smoke, such as vinyl siding, paint, Styrofoams, hydrocarbons from the cars.
"The smoke has obviously been sucked into the buildings and has now contaminated the buildings. So there's a concern that until the buildings are cleaned, that some of our tenants may experience health issues if they're allowed to return."
Big cleanup ahead
Once adjusters sign off on the work, contractors will begin the enormous job of washing down walls, ceilings and roofs, where they will also replace insulation.
They also have to empty garbages, remove food from countertops and replace refrigerators where "there's all sorts of bacteria growing in there that could be ingested by the tenants and breathed in," Elsasser said.
In one building alone with 175 units, restoration work is expected to take 125 people 10 days to complete.
Tenants will not be allowed in even briefly to pick up belongings, Elsasser said. That is because as soon as the adjusters sign off, cleaning will begin, and that would "put the smoke particulates and the toxic smoke into the air," he said.
He noted crews will be protected by special clothes and respirators.
WBHC is hiring hundreds of workers to get units ready as quickly as possible, Elsasser said. He warned tenants not to show up until they are called. Once return dates are clear, they will be posted on the WBHC website.
Similarly, Elsasser advised tenants throughout Fort McMurray to contact their landlords before returning to ensure they will be allowed in.
Not 'one ounce of concern'
But a landlord for a non-subsidized apartment complex said he didn't have the same level of safety concerns as Elsasser.
Operations manager Jeff Peddle is already back in Fort McMurray working with a crew of four to ready 500 or so suites at the River Park Glen for Wednesday, the start of the planned phased re-entry to Fort McMurray.
Apart from minimal smoke damage, "our building was really, really good," Peddle said, adding the insurance adjuster had no concerns. "Other buildings could be hit totally different, but for us and our buildings, I don't have one ounce of concern."
Peddle, who lives in the apartment complex, said he would never jeopardize the health of anyone in the buildings, adding they are made of concrete with gravel roofing.
"If I thought it was a safety concern myself, I wouldn't be here," he said. "I feel it's just as safe as before this event happened."
WBHC tenants won't have to pay rent until they can return to their homes. For tenants whose suites have been destroyed, other units will be made available.
The mandatory evacuation order will remain in place past Wednesday.