'Everything's in limbo': Future uncertain for Dartmouth tenants displaced by fire

Future uncertain for residents displaced by fire More than 100 people displaced by a deadly fire in Dartmouth are still wondering about their future. Sarah Ritchie has more.

More than 100 people displaced by a deadly fire in Dartmouth on the weekend are left wondering about their future.

A Red Cross emergency shelter has now closed and residents are being moved to temporary lodgings, but they aren’t sure when they will be able to return home.

“Right now everything’s in limbo. I mean, it’s scary,” says tenant Carna Morten.

Fire crews responded to the 80-unit apartment building at 81 Primrose Street around 3:35 a.m. Saturday.

A woman’s body was pulled from the building and another person was sent to hospital with serious injuries.

Tenants are unable to return to the building due to ongoing police and fire investigations and structural damage to the building. In addition, with electricity and water services disconnected, the building’s fire alarms, sprinklers, elevators, some stairwells, and parking garage doors are not operating.

Initially, fire officials estimated that up to 150 tenants may have been displaced by the fire, but the Red Cross now says a more likely number appears to be around 115.

The organization set up an emergency shelter at the North Dartmouth Community Centre, but it says most tenants have been able to find temporary lodging with family, friends, or through tenant insurance.

About a dozen tenants needed the shelter for a night or more. The apartment building's management company, Northview REIT, has arranged for those tenants to stay at Dalhousie University’s student residences.

The Red Cross closed the emergency shelter at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

“As soon as people get in, they really do want to get back out as quick as possible and kind of get back into daily routines,” says Nicholas Williams of the Canadian Red Cross.

Williams says anyone who has been affected by the fire should get in touch with their insurance company and also with the building manager.

Morten says she does have insurance and a play to stay and is counting herself among the lucky ones.

“Some people have lost their food items, and you know, they’re not able to reimburse anybody for that,” she says.

A number of other groups have also stepped up to provide support, including the Salvation Army, a local animal shelter, and a nearby mosque.

“We’re all in this community together,” says Morten. “There’s a community sense of coming together and caring about one another.”

It remains unclear as to when the tenants will be allowed to return to the building, or even if they will ever be allowed to move back in.

Northview REIT declined a request for an interview Tuesday.

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency did not provide an update on the investigation, and officials haven’t said what caused the fire. They also haven’t released any additional details about the victim.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Ritchie