Some Sydney residents are calling for vacant, flood-damaged buildings to be torn down after one building was destroyed by fire.
The fire started at an apartment complex on St. Peters Road around suppertime Monday and was fully involved when firefighters arrived.
The building has been vacant since October, when a flood on Thanksgiving Day left several Sydney-area homes uninhabitable.
Residents say it’s not the first time one of the vacant, flood-damaged buildings has been vandalized, and they are calling for them to be torn down as a safety precaution.
“People are breaking into them, windows are broken. Beautiful homes with beautiful shrubs around them, and they’re being vandalized over and over again,” says one area resident.
“They’re broken into, then they’re boarded up, then they’re broken into again, and I think it’s the icing on the cake. I think, at this point, if the insurance is handled, and the province is OK with it, the houses need to come down.”
People who live in the area say it’s simply a safety issue and demolition needs to take place.
“It could have easily jumped to nearby trees, because it's surrounded by trees. It could jump to our house, and it could have been huge," says resident Luna Lefort,”
Nova Scotia Emergency Measures Minister says since the financial assistance is complete for the families affected by the floods, demolitions can be expected to begin next month.
“The tender is going out next week for the removal and remediation of the area. That work will start in August with a completion date for early fall," says Derek Mombourquette, Nova Scotia’s EMO minister.
The fire marshal’s office and Cape Breton Regional Police are investigating the cause of the fire, which they consider to be suspicious.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
