Published Apr 07, 2025 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 2 minute readThe former St. Patrick’s-Alexandra School was the scene of another fire on Saturday. In this case, firefighters had to remove someone from the building. Photo by Ryan TaplinHalifax crews responding to another fire inside the former St. Patrick’s-Alexandra School on Saturday evening found someone inside the room where the fire started.Deputy chief Dave Meldrum said crews were called to the school just before 7 p.m. after getting a report that someone was seen in the building and there was something on fire hanging out a window.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentWhen the first truck arrived, firefighters could see light smoke and a small amount of flame from a second-storey window, Meldrum said.“An occupant was still visible in the window,” he said.Firefighters put ladders up to the window and made contact with the person inside, who was co-operative and left the building with firefighters.“The fire was contained to some sheets and a few books, and had burned itself out,” Meldrum said. “It was a pretty small fire, but it does highlight the need for people to stay out of these buildings.”He said the department wants to see the school and all abandoned buildings in the municipality made secure by the property owners.Halifax Regional Police said they were at the scene but are not investigating the incident. They said the individual inside the room was not injured.Last week, the union representing career firefighters in the municipality voiced concerns about unsecured, abandoned buildings, particularly St. Patrick’s-Alexandra.Article contentOn March 31, the union said members had conducted a site visit of the property after another fire several days before, and they found several hypodermic needles discarded on the ground, unsecured entry points to the building and signs that people were living in the structure. Several rooms had what the post described as “dangerously high fire loads.”A couple of hours after that post there was another fire.The union said abandoned buildings are high-hazard sites that create increased risks to firefighters. Those risks, which are also threats to anyone who might go inside, include the lack of safety systems like emergency lighting, fire alarms and sprinkler systems.The buildings are hard to get into, hard to move around in and hard to get out of. Hallways, stairways and exits may be blocked and inaccessible as people move things around inside the building. The potential for walls to have been opened up also could cause a fire to spread faster.A fire on Feb. 16 heavily damaged one of three derelict buildings on the former Bloomfield School site.Article content
Man removed from room in latest fire at abandoned Halifax school
