A huge blaze completely decimated a New Westminster apartment and displaced around 150 residents this past summer, and now the ruins of the residential building are surrounded by asbestos warnings.
When we first checked in with the City of New Westminster back in July after the fire ravaged the building, we were told that it was unlikely there was anything structurally sound or salvageable, and that the entire building would need to be demolished.
We were also told that there would be no excavators on site to clear the debris until after an investigation was completed.
When crews were fighting the blaze. (Amir Ali/Daily Hive)
Earlier this week, we got an update from New West Fire Chief Erin Williams, who said that the building was turned over to the owner and the insurance company “some time ago,” and that they were working through the process of safely removing the remains of the building.
“To the best of my knowledge, they have contacted the Building Department for the City of New Westminster to obtain the necessary permits,” Williams said.
Williams added that he reached out to the department but hadn’t heard back in time.
So we still don’t have a clear timeline for when the debris might be cleared, and now there’s road construction happening in the area, which may further delay cleanup efforts.
Daily Hive noticed some conversations taking place online among New West residents earlier this year and in recent weeks, with some fears about asbestos in the area, as there is asbestos warning tape attached to the fencing that surrounds the ruins.
We reached out to WorkSafeBC to discuss the asbestos warnings and whether it should be a cause for concern.
Amir Ali/Daily Hive
“WorkSafeBC is aware of the potential hazard to workers from asbestos-containing materials at a post-fire demolition site in New Westminster. A Notice of Project-Hazardous Substances has been submitted by the contractor, and WorkSafeBC has completed an inspection at this site,” WorkSafeBC told Daily Hive.
“The contractor is required to submit an exposure control plan prior to the start of any work activity that may disturb the materials that remain on site to address the risk of workers being exposed to the hazardous materials.”
It added, “We can confirm that fencing and asbestos-warning tape are located at the worksite to reasonably prevent public access, and to alert the public against entry.”
We also learned that appropriate controls are in place pertaining to worker safety.
Daily Hive will be obtaining an inspection report for the area with more information sometime in the next week.
If you live in the area and are worried about the impacts to your health, you don’t need to fret.
The primary risk from a site like the New West apartment ruins is when the site is disturbed, with prolonged and repeated exposure, like workers drilling or doing other work on the site. Even on a windy day, danger to the public in the surrounding area is extremely low.
We’ll follow this story once the cleanup efforts commence.