A suspicious fire, at an abandoned home in 91原创 City, has had an added consequence 鈥� the cost of a spill into the Nicomekl River.
A 91原创 City resident took pictures of booms that had been put down in the river days after the .
They were placed in the waterway to soak up the foam used to fight the fire in the abandoned house on Park Avenue.
鈥淭he foam itself is biodegradable and not harmful to the environment, however one of its properties is to act as a degreaser and therefore it can carry oils that may have washed into the storm sewer system from our roadways, into the river,鈥� wrote Pete Jokisch, with the City鈥檚 engineering department, to a City resident.
鈥淲e are continuing our investigation in order to rule out other possibilities, however I think until it dries up, we will continue to see small amounts of oily sheen in the river.鈥�
Three booms were placed in different areas of the river.
Last Tuesday鈥檚 fire was the third time in less than three weeks that the 91原创 City fire department was called out to battle fires set in the abandoned, derelict home at 20435 Park Ave.
The resources this home has taken up through fire and police has been extensive.
In total, 15 firefighters were called out last Tuesday. Ten paid on call firefighters were there for about 23 hours, two hours each, at a total extra cost of $553, said City administrator Francis Cheung. The other five are full-time and are already paid for that day, he mentioned.
The property, which is severely overgrown with trees and vines, is not of much value. But it is located between a single family home and the Telus switching office, making it important for the fire to be contained, said City fire deputy chief Pete Methot.
Neighbours say the property has been abandoned for the past eight years and has been a constant headache for them.
One neighbour said the City has received several written complaints about the home.
Transients consistently break into the house, sometimes even sleeping underneath it, and often break into neighbouring homes as well.
Cheung said the City has the power to order the home owner to demolish the building on the property, but council rarely, if ever, takes that action.
鈥淚t is only used as a last resort,鈥� said Cheung last week. He doesn鈥檛 foresee staff recommending any action against the home owner.
鈥淚f needs be, council can consider remedial action but that is last resort. Council can direct the owners to do whatever, whether it be demolition or to fix it up and bill the owners for the costs,鈥� said Cheung.
鈥淚t is rarely used because we have to demonstrate the City has done everything it can do, and document that it has asked them to do whatever we have asked. It鈥檚 a lengthy process.鈥�
Cheung points to the former motel on 200 Street that was housing prostitutes, drug dealers and a heavy criminal element, forcing nearby residents to endure late night parties, arrests, fights and drug paraphernalia.
鈥淚t took us three years to collect enough evidence so they couldn鈥檛 challenge it in court,鈥� said Cheung.
In the end, the City pulled the motel鈥檚 licence. It created an instant change in the neighbourhood.
Abandoned, older homes left in 91原创 City has been a major problem for several neighbourhoods. Only a few weeks ago, a delegation of neighbours came to City council asking it to be more proactive on homes that sit empty and are left to be occupied by squatters. The City is in transition and many bungalow-style homes are being bought by developers and left to sit unoccupied.
The homes are quickly stripped of all the metal and anything else left of value. They are often lived in illegally. The properties are not kept up, said neighbours, as is the case with the Park Avenue home. Residents in the 201 Street and 53 Ave. area, where there are plans for a condo development by Weststone Properties, said their neighbourhood has been reduced to a slum.
鈥淲e have a number of those homes, some are pending development,鈥� said Cheung. We encourage them to get a demolition permit but we can鈥檛 force them,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e would rather work with our property owners to address the issues.鈥�
