Residents hastily evacuated from Calgary apartment building over ‘structural issues’

Many said they were given only minutes to pack and didn’t learn of the evacuation order until they were returning home from school or work

Residents of a Kensington apartment building were told to quickly pack their belongings and evacuate after building inspectors raised concerns about the structure’s safety.

Fire crews were called to assist in the evacuation of 57 units at Kensington Manor on 10th Street N.W. around 4:30 p.m.

A building inspection completed earlier in the day identified structural concerns, and city officials decided to evacuate the building for the safety of the residents.

“After the inspection, it was found the building did have some structural issues. So the building is being evacuated,” a city spokesperson told Postmedia.

Some 125 residents were asked not to return home if they could avoid it, but to head straight to an information centre at Hillhurst Community School.

Thursday night, police blocked part of 10th Street N.W. while officials from the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) and Calgary Transit assisted affected residents.

Some residents leaving the building said they were given just minutes to gather a few belongings and evacuate.

A note was distributed to each of the units informing residents about the evacuation, but many at the Kensington building Thursday evening said they only learned about the evacuation as they were returning home from work or school.

full story at http://nationalpost.com/news/national/residents-hastily-evacuated-from-calgary-apartment-building-over-structural-issues