Fire panels inoperable, 60 units affected during prolonged West Village power outage

A prolonged power outage --- now ended --- at the West Village complex at Bath and Days Road in Kingston affected 60 homes and left fire panels inoperable, prompting a fire watch and daily inspections by Kingston Fire & Rescue, according to new information Kingstonist has obtained.

The details provide a clearer picture of the fire safety and life safety concerns that developed during an outage that left some West Village residents without electricity or hot water for up to 10 days late last month. However, unanswered questions remain about what caused the electrical failure, why the outage spread to dozens more units nearly a week after it began, and what residents were told about the fire safety measures being taken while their buildings were without power.

Kingston Fire & Rescue (KFR) says it initially became aware of 13 units without power on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. Another 47 units were affected on September 25, bringing the total to 60.

The Fire Prevention Division began on-site inspections on September 19 and continued daily inspections during the outage. “Fire panels were not operational due to the power outage, and a fire watch was initiated,” KFR said in response to follow-up questions from Kingstonist.

KFR also said additional battery-operated smoke detectors were installed. The fire department did not, however, answer Kingstonist’s questions about how many temporary detectors were installed, where they were placed, or who installed them. It also did not specify who conducted the fire watch, exactly when it began, or what the fire watch involved.

Residents, meanwhile, raised concerns about fire protection while the outage continued.

Chelsea Prust, a longtime West Village resident whose building lost power on September 25, contacted Kingstonist on September 28, writing, “We have no fire alarms due to the power being out. It is a scary time.”

Prust later said she purchased a battery-operated smoke alarm herself because she was concerned about conditions in her building. She said she contacted the fire department and was told “someone was conducting regular walk-throughs of the property.”

“I don’t feel safe with that,” she said.

KFR’s subsequent responses confirmed that a fire watch was in place and the fire panels were not operational.

Outage expanded six days after it began

The new information from KFR also makes the scale and progression of the outage clearer than what was known as it unfolded.

On September 24, a West Village resident contacted Kingstonist and said 13 units at 507 Days Road were entering their sixth day without full power.

“Our food is all gone bad. Nobody’s helping us,” the resident said.

The resident said property owner Kenlar Investments Inc. offered temporary accommodation in what she described as a “run-down motel in Kingston’s east end,” but she questioned how families could make that work while continuing to get to jobs and take children to school.

Early the following morning — nearly six days after the initial outage began — another 507 Days Road resident told Kingstonist that excavation had not yet begun.

“Our power at 507 Days Road has been out now since September 19th,” the resident said shortly after 5 a.m. on September 25, adding that crews had “not even started digging into the ground yet.”

Later that day, KFR says, another 47 units lost power.

By September 28, a written notice from Kenlar said excavation was underway and that contractors and Hydro One would be running new lines to electrical boxes on the property before the system was energized and tested.

Kenlar said the remaining work would take another two full days and projected that power would be restored by Tuesday, September 29.

The notice also said management was “collaborating closely with the local fire department and municipal officials to maintain building safety” while repairs continued.

A second notice advised residents that Hydro One would shut off power to the entire complex for approximately 10 hours beginning at 7 a.m. on September 29 to carry out the ongoing electrical repairs. Residents were instructed to unplug appliances and electronics because of the possibility of a power surge when service was restored.

Kingstonist has asked Kenlar Investments and property owner Jay Patry what caused the original electrical failure, why another 47 units were affected six days after that initial outage, and when management determined excavation and replacement of electrical infrastructure would be necessary.

Neither had responded by publication time.

Days without power take a toll

As Kingstonist previously reported, residents described spoiled food, no hot water, and mounting expenses as the outage continued.

Jay Slaney, who lives at 507 Days Road, had first contacted Kingstonist on September 22, saying his household had already lost all refrigerator contents and had bought gym memberships so that they could shower.

As the outage continued, Slaney said he spent approximately $325 replacing spoiled food and eventually purchased a barbecue and generator.

Prust, who has three children, estimated her family lost at least $1,000 worth of groceries. With no hot water and limited cooking options, she said the uncertainty over when electricity would return compounded the disruption.

Laundry also piled up as Prust repeatedly postponed making alternative arrangements because residents kept being told power would return the following day.

Kenlar made an empty unit available for residents to shower and provided a community barbecue. Prust said she was uncomfortable taking her three children into an unlocked unit to shower, although she used its sink to clean her baby’s bottles.

The September 28 notice said a unit at 511 Days Road would remain available for showers for residents affected by the outage.

Kenlar also told residents in the notice that rent abatement would apply for the entire duration of the power outage.

Kingstonist has asked Kenlar how it will calculate that abatement and whether tenants will receive compensation for spoiled food or other outage-related expenses. By the time of publication, Kingstonist had not received a response.

Power restored, questions remain

When Kingstonist attended West Village on September 29, excavation work was actively underway, with large machinery operating on the property. The work created considerable noise and made portions of the complex difficult to navigate. Prust’s building still had no power at the time.

The planned complex-wide shutdown that day was expected to last approximately 10 hours while Hydro One and contractors completed the electrical work.

Just before 7 p.m. that evening, Prust said, her electricity returned.

KFR has since confirmed that power was restored on the evening of September 29 and the fire watch was cancelled at that time. By October 1, Prust confirmed that all West Village buildings had electricity again, although excavation work remained unfinished and piles of dirt and rock remained in the parking area.

She said she had received no further explanation from Kenlar about what had happened.

KFR said post-restoration inspections verified that life safety systems were operational.

Other details about the fire safety response remain unclear. Kingstonist sought more information about who conducted the fire watch and what it involved; how many temporary battery-operated smoke detectors were installed and where; how many emergency calls KFR attended during the outage; and whether inspectors encountered any additional fire, electrical, or life safety concerns.

Those details were not provided.

In a final response Tuesday afternoon, the City said KFR “does not have anything further to add beyond the information already provided.”

The City of Kingston previously told Kingstonist municipal staff were aware of the situation and had “engaged as appropriate,” but provided no further details.

Significant questions also remain unanswered by Kenlar and Patry, including the cause of the electrical failure, why an outage initially affecting 13 units grew to 60 six days later, and when the extent of the excavation and electrical work required to restore service became known. Kingstonist has also sought information about what tenants were told about the fire watch and temporary fire safety measures, what compensation will be provided for their losses and expenses, and whether the failure was connected in any way to pre-existing electrical infrastructure or conditions at the complex.

Although Kingstonist has repeatedly sought comment from Kenlar and Patry and gave both another opportunity to respond before publishing this follow-up, neither had responded by publication time.

Electricity has been restored at West Village, but the experience left residents paying rent to live in homes where, for nearly two weeks, they could not reliably cook, shower, preserve food, or use other basic electrical services. The disruption also went beyond inconvenience: KFR has confirmed that fire panels were inoperable during the outage, requiring a fire watch and additional battery-operated smoke detectors while residents remained in the affected buildings.

The power is back on, but a full accounting of what happened --- and why some residents spent as long as 10 days without electricity in their homes --- has yet to be provided.

Michelle Dorey-Forestell, LJI Reporter, The Kingstonist