Fire breaks out in downtown St. John's, ripping through 2 homes
1 building was filled with Newfoundland and Labrador Housing units
A fire tore through two downtown St. John's homes Monday morning, destroying one of them, as firefighters battled to stop the spread to nearby buildings.
Thick smoke blanketed the air around Livingstone Street, at times impairing visibility of the two homes and the other end of the street.
The fire started at 59 Lime St. and then jumped to its neighbouring unit on the corner of Livingstone Street.
Deputy Chief Roger Hounsell of the St. John's regional fire department said they received a report of a fire around 7:45 a.m.
"We laid an attack line initially and started to do an interior attack. And then once we got so far, then the fire was too heavy. So we had to come out and then start to do a defensive attack on the fire," he told reporters.
Hounsell said the home on the corner of Livingstone had multiple units in it, and firefighters were going from one to the next, looking for fire. He described the Lime Street home as "completely destroyed."
No one was in the buildings when the fire happened, said Hounsell. Firefighters believe the fire was contained to the two homes.
"We have multiple crews here. We have three stations here plus another crew called in. So we're good on manpower and we're good on water and resources," said Hounsell.
The fire department had 25 firefighters on the scene as well as two platoon chiefs and the deputy chief.
Hounsell expected extinguishing the fire would take up most of the day.
Housing lost
There was a flurry of activity throughout the morning. First responders restricted access to the area, and there were five hoses pointed at the two homes as well as a ladder truck. At one point a chainsaw was used on the Livingstone Street building's roof.
People on the street watched from their porches, many using towels or scarves as makeshift respirators to protect themselves from the thick smoke.
Jim Dinn, NDP leader and MHA for St. John's Centre, also stopped by the scene.
The unit on the corner of Livingstone Street was a recently renovated Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation property. Dinn said it was tragic to see the fire happen.
"I suspect that there are going to be a few people who are going to be calling the office … to help with finding housing," Dinn told CBC News.
"And certainly I know we'll be working with Children, Seniors and Social Development and Newfoundland Labrador Housing to get those people housed."
The loss of the units comes at a time when there is a housing crisis gripping the province, he said, and finding housing is going to be a challenge.
"The loss of any affordable housing units or Newfoundland Labrador Housing units is going to be significant and put significant strain on the system and they're going to be looking for a place to live."
Not only have the residents lost a roof over their heads, said Dinn, but they will have lost their possessions and will need to replace them.
Then, he said, the focus should be on figuring out what will happen to these units next.
"If they can be repaired, they should be repaired. If not, maybe it's an opportunity to rebuild … and add more housing at that point."
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