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Nearly three months after a fire engulfed a seniors’ home in St. Albert, investigators confirm they were not able to determine an exact cause for the fire.
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“Our investigation is complete and the results were inconclusive,” said City of St. Albert spokeswoman Florence Ma in an emailed response to a Postmedia request for an update on the department’s probe into the fire.
The fire started on a first floor patio at the Citadel Mews West continuing care facility on May 6. While everyone living at the facility was able to make it out safely, the fire resulted in the displacement of hundreds of senior residents.
Without a known cause for the fire, Ruth Adria, the chair of the Elder Advocates of Alberta Society, continues to raise concern. She suspects the fire was started by a cigarette because it’s not uncommon for residents to be smokers.
“The fact that the building was evacuated really was a miracle, considering how quickly the fire developed,” said Adria. “But one of these days we’re going to have something horrible happen.”
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Adria said the best way to prevent fatalities from happening at senior homes in the future is to ensure a fire escape is accessible. She says not all seniors homes have fire escapes and it’s something the organization complains about often.
“It’s the fire safety. We have made it known to a number of responsible individuals, but nothing ever changes,” she said. “How do you remove a wheelchair dependent or even people who are dependent on walkers? There must have been a lot of people that immediately appeared to remove these elderly people.”
She added that people seem to forget that these are not just casual residences, these are their homes. Adria said her group will continue to advocate for fire escapes at all senior homes.
