THUNDER BAY — The owner of the fire-damaged former Oddfellows Hall on May Street will have to keep the building secure and make repairs, or tear the structure down.
The numbered Ontario corporation that holds the property has until Friday, March 13 to provide the city with an engineer's report that outlines the necessary repairs to make it safe.
Failing that, the city Building Services Division says in an order, the building must be demolished.
The Licensing & Enforcement Division has issued similar instructions.
The March 1 blaze caused extensive damage to the top floor, including a collapsed roof, along with damage on the second floor.
The converted rooming house had already been shut down since early November on orders from the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
Inspectors had identified numerous safety and health issues including plumbing and heating problems, garbage, a rodent infestation, garbage and used needles.
The property is owned by a company based in the Greater Toronto Area.
Deputy Thunder Bay Fire Chief Dave Paxton says the structure is considered a risk to the public and to neighbouring buildings.
Given its proximity to other buildings and to pedestrian traffic, he said Tuesday, "there's a little more urgency to this being addressed."
Paxton said that until the owners decide how to proceed, the fire department's priority is to ensure no one gains access.
"All three agencies share the same concern, to ensure people are not in that building. The last thing we want to do is have to respond into that building" again, he said.
The fire is believed to have started on the third floor, but investigators have not determined how it started.
