Officials are working on next steps to help those who remain in need after Wednesday's early-morning fire forced about 60 people out of their 3200-block Westwood Drive apartment building.
Many of the tenants who live in the 32-unit Latitude apartment building have found places to stay with family and friends and have tenants insurance, city community partnerships manager Brad Beckett said Friday.
But there are some who still need help and Beckett said the city is working with Emergency Management B.C. and the Canadian Red Cross to develop a package focussed on longer term needs such as housing, additional furnishings, clothing, and transportation.
"A good number of these people have insurance so the insurance companies take care of those folks," Beckett said. "This program will be left for those who didn't have tenant or renter insurance."
Although the blaze was limited largely to the building's southeast corner, those units not hit directly by fire suffered extensive smoke and water damage, meaning the building will be uninhabitable for some time yet, if ever.
"There's a lot of mitigation work, I don't think all of the insurance adjusters have had a chance to get through it yet, and that process takes awhile in itself before they decide what they are going to do with it," Beckett said.
The initial 72-hours of help victims typically receive through the city's evacuation support program will have ended Saturday but they won't be left stranded.
"We intend to continue working throughout the weekend and certainly nobody will be without a roof over their head over the weekend," Beckett said. "We'll definitely look to provide extensions or other alternatives."
Prince George Fire Rescue deputy chief Cliff Warner said fire Investigators have deemed the fire to be accidental.
"Fire Investigators have also determined that all fire and life safety mechanisms at the Westwood Drive fire worked as they were designed and intended," Warner said.
The April 18 fire that forced the evacuation of a 14-suite apartment building on 10th Avenue near Central was also found to be accidental.
