Leaseholders at fire-damaged Ashcroft condo will move to units in neighbouring tower
Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: May 23, 2018 | Last Updated: May 23, 2018 4:25 PM EDT
Ashcroft Homes said it will offer accommodations to leaseholders displaced from a highrise that was under construction when it was damaged by fire in April.
Ashcroft president David Choo said in a statement Wednesday the developer will place those who signed a lease for the Envie Plus condo for the next school year in the neighbouring Envie Student, which the company said is at 98 per cent occupancy.
Leasing at Envie Plus is expected to resume in May 2019 “to coincide with student schedules,” the company said.
Fire broke out at the unfinished Envie Plus condo April 30. Investigators deemed the blaze accidental and determined the fire began in a garbage chute before flames quickly climbed the 26-storey building’s exterior.
The building on Champagne Avenue South was under construction and no units were occupied. Fire officials said the estimated 150 workers evacuated the building quickly. Officials estimated the damage at $10 million.
Choo said Wednesday the damage was predominantly contained to the building’s exterior, “with water and smoke damage to some interior suites as a result of firefighting efforts.”
Ashcroft said no one was injured in the fire, and said the damage would be covered by insurance.
Envie Student, a neighbouring condo also geared to students and young professionals, was not affected and was not evacuated.
“Immediate action started with containment of the damage and our remediation efforts to bring the (Envie Plus) building to completion as soon as possible,” Choo said. “We are working closely with the insurers to reconstruct the damaged units and complete those that were unaffected.”
The dramatic blaze broke out around 11:35 a.m. on April 30, escalating to a three-alarm emergency that drew about 18 emergency vehicles and 50 firefighters.
Fire chief Kim Ayotte said the state of building under construction presented “additional challenges that we may not face in a building that is fully sprinklered and has available water in it.”
Investigators said fires originating in garbage chutes are often due to “improper disposal of smoking materials” or chutes that are clogged with debris.
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