‘Something has to be done’: Moncton residents concerned about fires at abandoned building

A fire at a vacant Moncton house has neighbours concerned.

Peter Jongeneelen was woken early Wednesday morning by the sound of a woman yelling across the street from his home in downtown Moncton, N.B.

Soon after, he saw multiple fire trucks, police vehicles and an ambulance rush to an abandoned building on High Street.

“It’s a sad situation,” said Jongeneelen.

Moncton Fire Department Platoon Chief Brian McDonald said they received a report of a fire at a two-storey home at 4:20 a.m.

McDonald said the home, which was vacant and boarded up, was significantly damaged by the fire.

There were no injuries.

Neighbours told CTV News the building has been vacant for at least two years and is a regular hangout for members of the city’s homeless population.

“It’s constant. It’s all the time here. The neighbours, a lot of people in this neighbourhood are very much fearful to be out and about past eight o’clock at night,” said Jongeneelen.

“We’re just worried that one of these days somebody is going to die. These are not safe places to be.”

Jongeneelen said the fire department has been there numerous times already this year.

“We have had other fires at that building in the past,” said McDonald.

The cause of the High Street fire is currently being investigated.

John Renton lives next door and is very concerned about having a vacant building beside him.

“Without question. It’s too close to me for comfort. There’s all sorts of factors about homeless people around buildings, but that’s not my concern. My concern is the fact that it’s an eyesore and unsafe for anybody,” said Renton.

Renton believes the building should be torn down.

“Either that or brought up to code and some viable business or residence move into it,” said Renton.

What concerns Jongeneelen the most is the home’s proximity to multi-unit buildings, like Renton’s.

“Something has to be done,” said Jongeneelen. “It’s becoming a hazard.”

On March 2, firefighters were called to a large fire at a vacant building in downtown Moncton on Wesley Street.

No one was injured in that fire either.

The building, which appeared to be under renovation, was torn down.

Moncton Fire Department Deputy Chief Keith Guptill said every Monday each crew in the city checks the vacant buildings in their coverage area.

“We’re having a number of vacant building fires here in Moncton recently. There’s quite a rash of them,” said Guptill. “We have tried to secure them. We will bolt up, put up plywood with certain screws that will not be accessible by normal public means.”

Guptill said fire crews that were at the High Street fire on Wednesday had reports of a tent being set up on the front porch the day before.

He said it’s possible the building could be torn down, but demolitions can be difficult because there are a number of factors involved, including the property owners and their willingness to have it done.

“Sometimes we can’t even locate the homeowners anymore and that’s why these buildings are vacant,” said Guptill. “It becomes quite a task for our fire prevention and investigators, as well as our crews, to maintain these buildings.”

In some cases, Guptill said the City of Moncton ends up having to pay for the buildings to be boarded up.

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