Weekend structure fire points to continued problems SCAN house
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on August 14, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com A northside fire on Friday night caused about $500,000 damage to a garage and home.A city firefighter suffered minor injuries battling the blaze while a pet was found dead.
The fire was at the back of a residence on the 1600 block of 3 Ave. N.
A neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said the owners of the garage and home that were damaged were innocent victims because he says the blaze started in the backyard of an adjacent home.
That house was shut down by the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods of the Alberta Sheriffs in January.
A court order closed down the property for 90 days. A photo of the home was contained in a report by Regulatory Services manager Duane Ens to the Safety and Social Standing Policy Committee in April which addressed properties of concern in Lethbridge.
A community safety order barred people from the property until April 9 when the closure period ended. It was boarded up, fenced and the locks changed in January.
Between Sept. 1 2021 and Aug. 28 of last year, city police attended the property 36 times for various types of calls. Eight neighbourhood complainants also contacted SCAN.
A sign still visible on the front of the stucco home reads “Beware of dog.” A huge piece of plywood can be seen covering what may have been a front window.
SCAN when contacted this week about the property said that while the closure ended April 9 and the property returned to its owner, “with evidence of continued drug activity taking place on the property, SCAN is applying for another community safety order that would re-close the property and support its sale to a different owner.”
The neighbour, who didn’t want his name used, has lived nearby for four years and said problems started about three years ago.
He told the Herald he understood there was no power or water at the house and he’s seen people burning wood pallets and old furniture in the backyard and this week a pile of burned refuse could be seen close to the garage behind a wire mesh fence that had been installed behind the properties near the garage in which the wreckage of a burned vehicle was visible. What also appeared to be the fragments of a fence between the properties could also be seen.
The resident said he had to put locks on his garage power outlets because residents at the house SCAN closed were running extension cords to it for power. He said other residents also had experienced electricity theft. And vehicles regularly parked in his driveway to visit the residence.
The resident said he had gone to bed about 10:30 on Friday before being awoken and told to evacuate his home.
The heat from the fire’s flames was intense enough that it lightly scorched his fence.
A release from the City said that fire crews from four stations responded to the blaze. A next-door neighbour called 911 after seeing it while another alerted family inside the home.
The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation, says the City. 3
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