Evacuated residents return home

Residents who had been evacuated from their home Wednesday due to a carbon monoxide leak at their southwest Calgary apartment building were allowed to go home Thursday afternoon.

More than 300 residents of the Marquis tower were forced to evacuate Wednesday morning in –30 C weather after the Calgary fire department received a call around 4:30 a.m. MT. Dozens of fire crews responded, along with emergency service crews and police.

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 was the source of the carbon monoxide.

Originally, occupants of the Marquis tower at 1108 Sixth Ave. S.W. were expected to be kept out of their homes for three to four hours. However, in a midday update Wednesday, officials said they were waiting to get electrical pumps to clear out the water.

Officials then said that due to the levels of water still in the building, residents were not be allowed to reoccupy their apartments overnight.

Initially, Calgary Transit buses were called to help keep the residents warm in the bitter cold.

A temporary shelter was set up at the nearby Kerby Centre Wednesday evening.

Terry Wilson, a social worker for the City of Calgary functioning as reception centre manager at the Kerby Centre for the evacuation, said that regardless of the weather, the city provides temporary accommodation when people are displaced.

But given the freezing temperatures and weather warnings, the primary concern Wednesday was keeping people out of the cold.

“People are welcome to stay here for as long as they have to,” Wilson said. “The Kerby Centre has been excellent with their help for this."

Luanne Whitmarsh, Kerby Centre CEO, said a call came in at 6:15 a.m., and since then they have been working to accommodate the displaced residents, providing hot beverages and food.

Whitmarsh said earlier in the day that if people weren’t able to return to their homes, temporary lodging and other care would be arranged.

"We have a really huge gymnasium and the Red Cross will be bringing in cots if needed," she said.