Hundreds of people are without a home after the apartment complex they lived in was deemed unsafe late Thursday, May 9. 

Tenants of Birchwood Terrace at 2440 Portage Avenue had a paper slipped under their doors late Thursday evening, letting them know they had to evacuate the building by 8 a.m. Friday.

"It was a nightmare and a shock," said Tania Morgan, one of many people affected. "I started crying. I don't have any family here and that's the case for a lot of these people."

Morgan says that as soon as everyone was notified, people began filling the hallways, crying and scared, rushing to take out as many personal belongings as possible with the short notice that had been given.

Morgan says she grabbed what she could, including her clothing, photo albums, and cat. However, Morgan says she was forced to leave behind her furniture and several other personal items. 

"People are exhausted," said Morgan. "Over half of the tenants are still sitting in their cars in the parking lot trying to figure out what to do next."

A large steel i-beam can be seen running vertically up into the building from a parking garage. A hole is dug around it, and several teleposts encircle the larger beam. Yellow Caution tape runs across the front. Residents say that support columns in the building's parking garage were found to have corrosion issues according to letters they received. (Supplied)

Morgan says she's had a few friends step up to offer her a place to stay overnight. Moving forward, however, she doesn't know where she will go. 

A meeting has been scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn West to update tenants. 

It is unclear how long it will take to complete repairs. However, it's anticipated it could take several months.

No one will be able to enter the property until the City determines that it is safe.

Neighbouring properties along Assiniboine Avenue have also been put on an evacuation watch and told to prepare to evacuate if needed.

A large moviing truck is parked on grass alongside a multi-storey apartment blockA U-Haul moving truck sits on the grass outside of Birchwood Terrace on Friday, May 10, 2024. Several moving trucks could be seen around the building as residents scramble to get belongings out. (Colleen Houde/Golden West)
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