Water poured in through the roof and light fixtures of this apartment unit Tuesday night at Axxess Sylvan Lake. (Photo taken from video shared by Rachele Grygorasz)

By Troy Gillard

dozens displaced

Water pipe break forces evacuation of Sylvan Lake apartment building

Dec 16, 2020 | 5:39 PM

Dozens of Sylvan Lake residents have been forced from their homes after water flooded out their apartment building Tuesday night.

Caroline DeRuyter says she was relaxing in her fourth floor unit at Axxess Sylvan Lake at around 9 p.m. when alarms started sounding.

“I stuck my head out my door, and so were other residents on the floor, and everybody was like ‘What’s going on?’ So I looked to my right, about 10 feet away from me coming from the ceiling was water pouring down,” she recalled.

“The girl from down the hall said ‘I just called 911, and the fire department said to get out, everybody get out now. Don’t use the elevator, use the stairs.’”

NDTR-Sept. 30

Indigenous leads day successful at Chinook's Edge School Division

5h ago

Suspect Charged With Second-Degree Murder

Arrest made in central Alberta homicide

7h ago

Len Thompson Industrial Park

City of Lacombe celebrates grand opening of $10.8 million Operations Facility

8h ago

DeRuyter grabbed what personal items she could carry and got out of the building. About 45 minutes later she was allowed by firefighters into the underground parkade to get her vehicle.

“The water was leaking into the parkade – all down every floor and down through the lobby and into the parkade,” she said.

“The lady that lives at the very end, not far from me, her daughter posted a video that her mom took. The water was gushing out of her light fixtures. She had a bucket and she was trying to get the water out and stayed longer than most of us because firefighters came and escorted her out.”

There are 55 units in the four story apartment building located at Broadway Rise in Sylvan Lake’s south end.

Sylvan Lake Fire Chief Cliff Brausen says there were no injuries and that most of the building’s residents had already cleared by the time emergency crews arrived at the scene.

Residents were allowed back into the building briefly Wednesday afternoon to gather personal items. But it’ll be sometime before many of them can return to living there.

“Within 32 hours, we do hope to have the essential services restored to the building. Then from there, it’s a case by case situation based on the insurance adjuster and the restoration and where we can occupy and where we can’t,” explained Callie Beamish with Sunreal Property Management Ltd.

Beamish says they’re working to get a hold of each unit owner, verify which ones are currently occupied and determine who’s been displaced.

“Each one of those units is individually owned. Whether they’re occupied, that’s not necessarily something that we know because we don’t deal with the management of the interior of the unit. I can’t verify how many residents were occupying the units at the time of the loss.”

Beamish says the massive leak started in the top of the building, but they don’t yet know the cause.

She notes that the Canadian Red Cross has been contacted and will assist residents in need for up to 72 hours.

There have also been a good number of Sylvan Lake residents stepping up to help the displaced residents, offering everything from clothing and freezer space to a place to stay.

DeRuyter said she’s not surprised to see such generosity from the community.

“I love Sylvan Lake for this. Everybody is reaching out saying ‘How can we help?’ We’re making food, we’re doing this, doing that. Where did you guys all go? What do you need?’” said DeRuyter, who is staying with her sister in Sylvan Lake for the time being.

“In the two and a half years that I’ve lived here, there’s just that special connection that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anywhere else that I’ve lived to this degree.”

DeRuyter has started a Facebook group to help share information for the affected residents.