Vacant building concerns; emergency response renews calls for more safety measures

Measures to reduce vacant buildings needed Emergency responders were called to the former headquarters of the Middlesex-London Health Unit Sunday. CTV's Gerry Dewan reports.

Concerning moments earlier Sunday afternoon, as emergency responders were called to the former headquarters of the Middlesex-London Health Unit, a building that now sits vacant.

The incident has sparked renewed calls for measures that will reduce the number of vacant buildings in the city.

Emergency crews were called to 50 King St., in London's downtown, just before one in the afternoon.

Police were first on scene and went inside only to be pushed back by smoke, but they believed one or more people may have still been in the building.

Platoon Chief Kirk Loveland says members of the London Fire Department went into to sweep the building, "When we got the call, they reported a trapped person so our crews are going in, trying to find this individual. Firefighters described it as horrendous conditions inside."

In vacant buildings safety measures like emergency lighting and fire suppression systems are no longer working. Loveland says, in these situations, emergency exits also often have chains on them, "It just becomes a maze and strewn with debris. You don't know about other dangers."

Reports from those close to the investigation indicate the building has been targeted by 'scrappers;' people looking to take material and sell it, mostly metal.

Loveland couldn't confirm that but says those situations can create their own dangers, "You're messing with live wires that are energized and they’re cutting them apart so they can steal it."

London Ward 2 Councillor Shawn Lewis is encouraging the city to adopt a vacancy tax to reduce the number of vacant residential properties, limiting house flipping for profit. He believes it could control house prices, creating more spaces for those priced out of the market.

He believes a similar strategy could be used for commercial and industrial properties, "Those are businesses. Those are places that could be vibrant and alive and contributing to the community."

Lewis adds that the city has to do its part by making it easier to redevelop or repurpose properties, "How can we move forward as quickly as possible so we don't have these vacant properties being a potential hazard."

Late Sunday afternoon, London police told CTV News London that squatters were discovered in the building at 50 King.

Police say those individuals were taken into custody and charged with trespassing. They didn’t indicate how many people had been charged.