Carbon monoxide has forced the evacuation of more than 300 residents from a southwest Calgary apartment building in –30 C weather.
Dozens of fire crews are at the scene, along with emergency service crews and police. The Calgary Fire Department received a call around 4:30 a.m. MT Wednesday.
Fire department duty battalion chief Don Huska said there are two issues in the building — the level of carbon monoxide and water in the basement.
It's suspected that motorized pumps being used in the basement to remove water that seeped into the parkade from the Bow River is the source of the carbon monoxide. The building is currently being cleared of fumes.
The westbound lane of Sixth Avenue is reduced to one lane for buses only.
Calgary Transit buses were called to help keep the residents of 1108 Sixth Ave. S.W. warm in the bitter cold.
Liliana Johnson didn't expect to spend her Wednesday morning sitting on an emergency transit bus with her two young girls, but her family had no choice as carbon monoxide was leaking into their apartment.
"About 6 o' clock they started banging on the doors," she said, adding her kids were a little freaked out. "I was like, 'What's crashing?' We didn't know what was going on. They were like, 'You gotta get out,' and that's what we did."
Residents are expected to be kept out of their homes for three to four hours. In the last update, officials said they are still waiting to get electrical pumps to clear out the water for people to go home.
A temporary shelter is being set up at the nearby Kerby Centre, which is currently supporting about 80 people — a number that could rise throughout the day as over 300 people still wait to return home.
"We are a partner with the City of Calgary for these kinds of situations," said Luanne Whitmarsh, Kerby Centre CEO.
Whitmarsh said a call came in at 6:15 a.m., and since then they have been working to accommodate the displaced residents.
"Residents received hot coffee, tea, toast, egg and some fruit," she said. "The people who are managing the building situation — they came over and gave a speech. So everyone's fine."
Whitmarsh said they have a lounge with a television where people can wait, because she said at this point they are not sure when the residents can return to their homes.
"We're just making the plan so if this goes on much longer we will be feeding evacuees lunch," she said. "After lunch the city will make the decision if people can return to their homes today."
If they can't return to their homes, Whitmarsh said temporary lodging and other care will have to be arranged.
"We have a really huge gymnasium and the Red Cross will be bringing in cots if needed," she said.
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