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Edmonton city police are seeking a ‘person of interest’ after the city’s historic Hangar 11 was razed in a suspicious fire last week.
Police almost immediately deemed the blaze suspicious after it incinerated the Second World War-era building at 11760 109 St. Monday, April 22, with the fire breaking out just before 7 p.m.
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On Tuesday, April 30, investigators identified a “person of interest who may have valuable information” about the fire, a police news release said.
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“The loss of this historical landmark is not only devastating for the aviation community, but the community in general,” Det. Nigel Phillips, of the city police southwest investigative response team, said in the release. “A significant piece of history was lost, and we would like to determine what happened.”
Phillips described the man as a person of interest who “may have pertinent information that could assist with our investigation.”
Anyone who with information is asked to call police at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.
On June 28, 2021, Architure Inc. and Tim Antoniuk struck a deal to buy the three-acre Hangar 11 property for $1.5 million. The price tag was less than half its assessed value of $3.8 million on the tax rolls.
The goal was a mixed-use “live, work, eat, play development” that could house 225 student residences and commercial space, with rooftop gardens and a connection to the adjacent Blatchford neighbourhood development’s energy system; the cost was an estimated $75 million.
Inflationary rehabilitation costs climbed steadily since the 2021 sale deal.
Even if there had been a wired-in smoke alarm, there was no power, or water, services active at the property.
Almost three years after the agreement was struck, Hangar 11 finally changed hands, just two weeks before it burned down. Cleanup is the responsibility of the owner and their insurance.
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