Residents in the vicinity of a raging five-alarm fire at Victoria Park and Danforth on September 20 were able to seek refuge in the emergency evacuation centre opened by the City's Shelter, Support and Housing Administration about two kilometres away at the East York Community Centre on Pape Avenue. Providing safe shelter, food, registration and support services to evacuees and their pets during emergencies is the main job of the emergency planning unit in the division.

Air quality a problem
Thick, black clouds of smoke blanketed the east-end neighbourhood starting early afternoon. The fire was in an auto wrecking yard that contained tires. Emergency Planning staff, along with colleagues from Parks and Recreation, began an immediate assessment of local facilities to use as an evacuations centre. Facility size, safety, accessibility and proximity to the fire site were all considered. The ability to accommodate surge capacity should the area of the evacuation zone grow was also a factor. Once the site was selected, the evacuation centre was opened and operational within the hour. City staff were on site to manage the operation with the assistance of the Red Cross volunteers to support the evacuees.

About a dozen people and one dog visited the evacuation centre over the course of the evening. Six people stayed the night, one family with a one-year-old child was put up in a hotel by the Red Cross. Others were able to contact friends and family and make other arrangements.

Safe place to go
Although the evacuation was not mandatory, there was a strong odour in the area and some local residents didn't feel comfortable returning to their homes. "It was a great relief to know there was somewhere safe to go," said one homeowner who chose to return to his house after resting at the centre for a few hours.

Staff and volunteer help
Several homes were flooded because firefighters had to use huge amounts of water to fight the stubborn fire. Hydro was off at many residences. City staff provided assistance by presenting various options to distracted residents at the evacuation centre and were available to assist with accessing insurance information.

The Salvation Army provided a hot pasta meal to people at the centre, including several Red Cross volunteers who were at the site all night.

Emergency Planning Manager, Elaine Smyer, made the decision to close the centre mid-afternoon on September 21, about 24 hours after opening it. "Residents were returning to their homes. Our job was done," she said.