Vacant Parkview home burns hours after infill protest, fire cause unclear

A vacant home at 147 Street and 88 Avenue in Parkview caught fire around 3 a.m. Monday, the day after nearly 200 residents gathered at that same intersection to protest infill projects transforming the neighbourhood.

The property is one of seven on the street sold for redevelopment. Protesters said more than 50 units will replace the seven single-family homes, and expressed concerns about traffic, garbage collection, snow removal, and impacts on home values. Some residents who attended Sunday's protest were watching fire crews clear debris Monday morning.

Richard White, a resident across the street from the vacant house, told the Edmonton Journal he saw an unfamiliar small white car in the alley around 1:30 a.m. Monday. "I've got a house beside me that's been empty for about a year, and we keep kicking people out of there," White said. "I'm really nervous these days."

Fire investigators on scene could not comment on the cause. Two unnamed neighbours expressed concern the fire signals anger in the community over the rapid transformation. "It makes you wonder, are people angry enough to torch places? What if that fire had leapt to another house," one neighbour told the Journal.

HighOnCity reported in early September that Parkview residents had escalated their infill housing fight to Alberta Court of Appeal.