As she stepped out of her apartment at about 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, Haley Dennill heard the fire alarm.
Boardwalk Apartments on Killoren Crescent in Prince George was ablaze.
“I was heading to work and I literally just locked my door and the fire alarm went off,” said Dennill, who has lived on the opposite side of the apartment complex from the fire for the last five years.
Unfortunately, it is estimated that 24 units out of the 57 have either fire, smoke or water damage. The cause is as yet unknown.
“We have a lot of false alarms so I didn’t think much of it so I went down and as I’m leaving the parkade I saw the one side essentially on fire,” Dennill said.
“Then I was like ‘oh sh#@ it’s actually a fire’ and then at that point there was already a couple of guys out front honking their horns trying to alert people and then I called Lynne (Haley’s husband’s grandmother, another resident).”
When Haley called 911 she was told there had already been a call made and emergency response units were on the way.
Residents who were gathered around Haley and Lynne talked about other who were close to the blaze who reported they had knocked on doors as they made their way out of the building.
“At that time the building was already disintegrating,” Dennill said.
“It went quick.”
Lynne Viik has been a resident of Boardwalk Apartments for the last 29 years.
“This is so awful,” Viik said. “When you hear a fire alarm and you come out here and you wait and wait and wait, it’s always a false alarm. This is the first time ever that it’s a real fire and unfortunately it’s a bad one.”
Prevalent in the conversation among residents hunkered down across the street watching the blaze — some in their pyjamas, one lady in her robe and slippers, others using walkers and wheelchairs with blankets wrapped around their under-dressed bodies — was gratitude for making it out safely.
Gill Mostrom said the unit she shares with her husband Reg is in the section of the apartment complex that is beside the one that was ablaze.
“It’s close, too close,” Mostrom said, as she sat with a blanket around her, watching the fire crews battle the blaze.
“Somebody knocked on our door just one time but that was enough,” Mostrom said.
“My husband Reg is in a wheelchair and I use a walker. Needless to say I came out of the apartment just pushing his chair and that’s when we could smell the smoke and hear the fire alarm. Neither one of us can do the stairs so we took the elevator, which is a no-no but it worked fine and that was before the fire department even got here and most importantly — everybody’s out.”
The Mostroms have a 95-year-old neighbour who’s deaf.
“We were relieved to hear she made it out safely,” Mostrom said. “They brought her out on a stretcher. That’s who we were very concerned about and then we were told everyone made it out. But nobody knows how it started. No idea. I am just thankful everybody is OK, everybody got it. They literally went door-to-door and searched in the rooms. Most people were already out here. And the most important part is we all got out. The rest is just stuff.”
An emotional Charlene Halladay said her neighbour, Rita, saved her life.
“She kept pounding, pounding on my door and I thought who the hell is bugging me this early in the morning? So I went to the door and Rita said ‘get outside the building’s on fire’.”
Halladay said she somehow managed to grab her purse and her cell phone.
“I could smell smoke so I didn’t even get dressed,” Halladay gestured to her robe and slippers.
“And I forgot my glasses and some lady gave me her extra pair. I mean, it’s traumatic when you get up because someone’s pounding on your door, the fire alarm is going and you come out and your building is on fire. I’m homeless and everything I own is in my apartment and I’m pretty scared because that fire is really pretty near my place. I went around the back to have a look at my place and there is smoke coming from my neighbour’s so I’m pretty worried.”
Walking by the residents gathered together across from the section of the apartment not ablaze, Ann Ballinger said ‘be sure to mention our wonderful, wonderful, wonderful neighbours’.
One elderly woman wearing just her nightie and a sweater and using a walker emerged from a neighbour's house after using the facilities.
“These neighbours (indicating the house behind the group) went and bought McDonald’s breakfasts and coffee and set up the table even before we were all fully evacuated,” Ballinger said, who didn’t seem concerned about her apartment or its contents," said Ballinger.
“Those are just things. Everyone got out as far as we know so that’s so important. There are a lot of old people who live here, including me! But the most wonderful thing happened and that was when neighbours came out with pots of coffee and bottles of water and just the kindness — it’s just nice to see in this world. So I think for me that’s the most wonderful thing because if you lose that kindness you’ve lost the world. There you go, that’s my philosophy for today.”
A smiling young man answered a knock at the door of the home where Ballinger, Halladay and the Malstroms were gathered, soon calling over a young women to speak to The Citizen.
Amandeep Kaur said when it first happened it was really cold outside.
“People were evacuated so early and no one had anything so we just set it out for them,” Kaur said, indicating to an eight-foot table filled to capacity with fast food breakfasts and coffee.
“I hope no one would ever have to go through anything like this. I wish I had a bigger home so I could just take everyone in.”
