Significant flooding at apartment highrise in downtown Winnipeg forces evacuation

Residents at a downtown Winnipeg apartment complex had to evacuate the building Monday due to significant flooding.

Richard Marcou is among hundreds of residents who were told to leave the 25-storey residential highrise on 170 Hargrave St. shortly after 11:30 a.m.

"I spoke to a couple people whose suites were completely flooded," Marcou told CBC News while standing outside the building, which is part of the Holiday Towers complex.

"I haven't been able to get back in except to pick up some [medication], and the cops showed up at my door and said, 'Richard, take a hike. You know you can't stay here.'"

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service located the flooded area and worked to close the impacted valve to stop water from flowing, but the building had already sustained "significant water damage," a spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg said in an email.

Marcou, who's lived on the 15th floor for about 20 years, said he was in his suite when he heard an alarm go off that told residents there was a water leak and they needed to evacuate the building.

He spent Monday evening looking for a place to spend the night. He said he went to a nearby hotel, but couldn't secure a room because he doesn't have a credit card.

"I don't mind sleeping on a bench, but downtown, that's a bit sketchy," Marcou said, adding that he would keep looking for a hotel.

A friend of another tenant said they came back to the building that evening to find the power had been shut off and that they had to leave.

"I saw babies with their mothers crying," Sekinat Balogun said. 

"People don't know what to do. People are just hanging around confused and I think they deserve much more better help."

WRE Development, the management company that oversees Holiday Towers, did not respond to CBC's request for comment on Monday.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service says it's working with the Winnipeg Police Service to evacuate the building and secure the site, which includes closing access between the skywalk and apartment complex. 

The city's emergency social services team is helping tenants arrange temporary housing accommodations while the Animal Services Agency is assisting with people's pets. About 300 tenants have registered with the team, the city spokesperson said.

"It's our understanding that there are approximately 260 suites … however, not all tenants require temporary accommodations as many indicated they would stay with friends or family after registering," the spokesperson said. 

Security officers will remain at the building throughout the night, the city said. It is unknown how long it will take to restore services to the building and remediate damages.