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A Christmas Day fire that ripped through the Salvation Army building in downtown Prince Albert forced community agencies to scramble overnight to keep meals, shelter and warming services running for vulnerable residents.
Emergency crews were called to the scene around 8 p.m. on Dec. 25, as thick black smoke and flames poured from the structure, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
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By Boxing Day morning, fire crews were still on scene, hosing down neighbouring buildings and working to fully extinguish the blaze, with Central Avenue and nearby streets closed to the public.
“It was a complete shock, something that you’ve invested your time in, working with the people that we serve,” Salvation Army Major Ed Dean said in an interview. Dean said the building appeared normal earlier in the day, including during a community Christmas meal that brought large numbers of people through the doors.
The meal ran from noon to 4 p.m., Dean said, adding “there were many people around, hundreds of people, as a matter of fact.”
He said nothing seemed out of place until later that evening, when the call came in.
A large fire burns through the roof of the Salvation Army building in downtown Prince Albert as emergency lights reflect off the building during nighttime firefighting operations. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW)
“Everything seemed to be good until about eight o’clock when we got the call that our building had fire in it,” he said.
Dean said the Salvation Army’s overnight warming centre was not operating at the time of the fire, and staff were not scheduled to be on site for several more hours.
The warming centre typically ran from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., he said.
With frigid temperatures and holiday closures complicating the response, representatives from the City of Prince Albert, the Prince Albert Grand Council, the Salvation Army and other agencies met Christmas night to coordinate next steps.
Prince Albert Mayor Bill Powalinsky called it a “devastating loss” and said agencies were moving quickly to maintain services.
By midnight, Dean said the community had already secured an emergency alternative, relocating warming services to PAGC Urban Services.
“Community leaders came together on Christmas night and said, ‘Look, we’re here. What do you need?” he said.
The temporary warming shelter moved to PAGC Urban Services effective Christmas night and was scheduled to operate nightly from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. until Jan. 2, while meal support was co-ordinated through the end of December.
Donations of cereal and sandwich items were also being requested, with volunteers needed for morning preparation, lunch service and cleanup.
Flames and heavy smoke rise from the roof of the Salvation Army building in Prince Albert on Christmas Day as firefighters work from above to contain the fire. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW)
Dean also urged the public to avoid finger-pointing online while the cause of the fire remains under investigation, saying hurtful comments about the people the Salvation Army serves are unfair.
As crews continued working downtown Friday, surrounding businesses were being protected, and an 8:30 a.m. update indicated the fire may be contained, though crews remained on scene.
– with files from paNOW’s Nigel Maxwell
