The city says it will be putting supports in place at a building in northwest Calgary that was evacuated on Thursday night because of some serious structural issues.

More than 100 people were forced out of Kensington Manor on 10 Street N.W. at about 4:30 p.m.

There were original reports that the building was in imminent danger of collapse, but the city has since refuted those claims. Officials do admit that the building is in bad shape.

"A cease occupancy was posted at two yesterday afternoon and that required the evacuation of tenants strictly for safety sake," said Dennis Terhove from the City of Calgary.

About 125 people live in the building and a business is set up in the bottom floor. The man who only just got the keys on Wednesday, said it was a surprise to have to unload merchandise from the location, especially before Black Friday.

"Just get as much product out of the store as possible," said John Hrytsak, the regional vice president of the Running Room. "It's a busy weekend with it being Black Friday. This just became my store yesterday; I just got the keys to this store yesterday, so it's been an interesting last couple of days."

The Calgary Emergency Management Agency has set up a shelter inside a nearby school to house the displaced residents, but there is no estimate on the number of people who are actually housed there right now.

James Watkins, who lives in the building, says he got home to find a sign on the door and was told the building was unsafe.

"I called 311 and they really didn't have any information. They put me through to the police and they had somebody come down and basically was told, the officer was very understanding and I'm not going to slight him, but I was told that if I went in, I would be arrested."

Watkins says he wanted to get in to retrieve his two cats. "The only thing of value I have in there to me are my two cats. Everything else, I don't care if it collapses and everything else is gone. I want those two cats out."

He says that the company could have done a lot more for residents.

"The company could have very well said 'we'll put you up somewhere, you know, give you a couple days at least look for something'. They're just basically cutting people loose. You can't even speak to any of the representatives."

There was some good news for Watkins on Friday morning as he was escorted into the building and allowed to retrieve his animals.

A section of 10 Street N.W. was shut down because of the issue but it has since been opened.

The seven-storey building is situated on a popular pedestrian street within the Kensington Business Revitalization Zone and houses businesses, including the Running Room, on the ground floor.

An information centre has been opened inside the Hillhurst Communtiy School at 1418 7 Avenue N.W. for residents of the building.

The city says that the building is structurally unsafe but contractors will still be able to get in to fix the problems.