A long-delayed fire inspection and safety cleanup of Anita Place Tent City started Tuesday upon order of the Office of the Fire Commissioner in Victoria.
And if compliance with the order is not achieved, the city will seek help from the B.C. Supreme Court to address the safety issues.
“The fire department and city staff who have been inspecting this site over the last year have been frustrated by the lack of commitment and cooperation by camp occupants to address the fire and life safety issues on the site,” said Maple Ridge CAO Paul Gill.
“The occupants have an opportunity and the support from the city and B.C. Housing to make the encampment safe by allowing the necessary work to be completed, and the hope of the Ccity is that they will do so. If compliance with the Fire Order is not achieved and maintained on the site, I will take steps to seek further authority from the B.C. Supreme Court to address these safety issues.”
Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue, along with City of Maple Ridge public works employees arrived at the camp on 223rd Street just after 10 a.m.
“The whole point of this is fire risk,” said David Boag, city director of parks and facilities.
Boag said the city was served an order Monday from the Office of the Fire Commissioner in Victoria, telling it to bring the camp into fire safety compliance within 24 hours.
The fire department tried this summer to clean up the camp, but couldn’t come to an agreement with residents on the details.
Boag said it’s the first time he’s heard of an order being served to a city to bring the site into compliance.
“My sense is there’s a level of cooperation this morning,” Boag said. “So we’re going to go through and conduct an inspection.”
Any high-risk materials will be identified and spaces between tents will be improved. Some tarps may have to be removed, along with wood structures, propane tanks, generators, propane appliances and any ignition sources.
But it’s unlikely that all will be done in one day, he added.
“Let’s work together on it. If it gets to the point where we have to have a discussion, let’s have that discussion,” Boag told camp residents before starting the walk-through.
Residents are giving city and fire crews access to the camp to do the clean-up.
The camp was devastated by a flash flood on Sept. 14, after about 60 mm of rain and hail hit downtown Maple Ridge, flooding out the camp, homes and businesses.
Maple Ridge fire chief Howard Exner said he wrote the order as a local assistant to the fire commissioner.
The commissioner reviewed the order then gave its approval.
This allows the city to use the Fire Services Act to improve the camp.
“Very rarely do we ever use the provincial order,” Exner said Tuesday.
A provincial fire order was also issued in June prior to the injunction being ordered at the Saanich camp.
