Calgary — Residents of a Bankview condo building that caught fire just before Christmas are still out of their homes — and one resident says now they are dealing with concerns about the restoration company.
ProStar Cleaning & Restoration was tasked with the cleanup after fire ripped through Valhalla View on Dec. 20. Now Reilly Quinlan is unhappy with the service.
Quilan said there was miscommunication between ProStar and the security company about when people could move.
He said residents have been told to clear everything out of their units in the next few days, otherwise the restoration company will do it for them.
"To do that to a whole bunch of people that have just lost everything ... unnecessary," he said. "It just feels very wrong to me."
Owners whose units are cleaned out by ProStar will be charged between $1,500 and $3,000, Quinlan said.
"It feels like I’m being gouged," said Quinlan.
Quinlan said he doesn’t have tenant’s insurance and to him that price seems extreme. To complicate matters, he said the company left a mess on his only pathway out and he now feels unsafe using the ripped-up stairwell to haul down items, including the fridge.
He said it would be safer and easier to just throw things, like his water-soaked mattress, through the chutes into the bins the restoration company has set up, but Quinlan said ProStar won’t let him to do that unless he has renters insurance.
'Things are thrown in the corner'
Quinlan said he is also concerned about the way his belongings were handled by other parties, including the restoration company, entering his unit after the fire.
"You have this sense of relief when you go in first like, 'things survived! I have a bit of peace of mind' ... and then you come back maybe four or five days later and some of those things are thrown in the corner and broken."
In a statement, ProStar Cleaning & Restoration's vice-president of marketing and sales Sheena Brown, said the company's response teams work diligently to mitigate damage to the structure and residents’ belongings.
"The City of Calgary and Fire Department officials along with an independent engineering team have deemed that controlled access for affected parties is appropriate.
Maintaining safety is first priority while allowing owners and occupants much needed access to belongings and property.
With respect to contents removal, occupants are encouraged to contact their individual unit insurance providers to arrange a preferred contractor to assist or alternatively, can self-preform the work at no cost. Complimentary boxes and packing supplies are available on-site to all Valhalla View occupants.
Security personnel are coordinating and monitoring this controlled access.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and under investigation."
