Residents of Edson, Alta. were being asked to continue conserving water wherever possible on Wednesday and town officials said “non-essential water services will continue to be closed this week” as water levels recover from a large downtown fire on Tuesday that destroyed a historic building.
According to posts on the Town of Edson’s Facebook page, fire crews from Edson, Hinton and Yellowhead County were called to a fire at a buidling on 50 Street between 4 Avenue and 5 Avenue at around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday morning.
“On arrival, the building was fully involved and Edson crews worked quickly to contain the blaze and ensure there was no spread to nearby buildings,” one post read.
No injuries were reported but the town said the fire claimed one building while adjacent buildings suffered some water and smoke damage. The fire also disrupted traffic on Highway 16.
According to the Town of Edson, the building that was lost housed both businesses and some apartments. People who were living in the apartments have lost their belongings and the town said donations were being accepted at the Edson Recycling Centre during regular hours. They said only household items were being accepted, no clothing.
Among the steps the city is taking to conserve water as a result of the fire is asking residents not to water their lawns until further notice. The town’s spray park and truck fill station will also remain closed until Friday afternoon.
The town said the building that was destroyed by the blaze was built “around 1920.”
The cause of the fire is not known.
Edson is located about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton.
View a photo gallery of the fire below:
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