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While the cause of the devastating fire that destroyed the Salvation Army in Prince Albert on Christmas is still not known, a temporary location has been established for the organization so many people depend on.
Starting on Friday, the services the Salvation Army can still provide will be offered at the Union Centre on Eighth Street East, next to the Legion.
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Major Ed Dean said he is grateful to Prince Albert Grand Council Urban Services, which opened the doors to its building immediately after the blaze. But with the holidays coming to an end, their own programs will soon resume, so a new location had to be found.
“We’re transitioning from that space and (on Friday) the overnight warming centre will be in the Union Centre,” said Dean.
The Salvation Army in Prince Albert was reduced to charred rubble following the fire on Christmas. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)
The Salvation Army’s meal program will also continue to run six days a week from the temporary location.
“It will cost us. We owned our building at 900 Central Avenue, and now we’re having to lease space, and that will cost money,” noted Dean.
Prior to the fire, the 13,000-square-foot Salvation Army building on Central provided a space for worship services, showers and laundry facilities. There was also a commercial kitchen and storage space for donations like clothing and Christmas toys. All that’s left standing is a frozen ruin of blackened beams. Fire investigators are still determining the cause, but it’s evident the building is a total loss. Dean said he expects the insurance process will take a while.
“What that will look like, we don’t know… but we are grateful for the donations,” he said.
Dean said monetary contributions would be the biggest help right now. Accepting donations like clothing may be a challenge, as they have no place to store the items.
He thanked the community for coming together so quickly after the fire. The Church of the Nazarene has opened it’s doors to the Salvation Army so they can still hold worship services and make use of the office space.
“That’s greatly appreciated, because the church is our foundation,” Dean explained. “Everything we do, it springs from our foundation.”
The only thing that may be salvageable from the fire is the sign above the entrance. Once the fire investigation is complete, Dean said he hopes to retrieve it and use it when the organization finds its next permanent home.
