Emergency crews remain at the scene of a fire that broke out at a townhouse complex under construction in Cochrane on Wednesday morning.

Fire crews were called to the community of Fireside for a large fire at about 2:18 a.m.

Calgary fire crews were called in to assist with an aerial truck and to help keep the fire from spreading.

The complex was under construction and two townhouses, each housing five units, burned to the ground and another sustained significant damage to the siding.

“There’s heavy damage on a condo under construction and then partial damage to a completed condo that includes a show home,” said Cochrane Fire Chief David Humphrey.

Nearby homes and vehicles also suffered some heat damage.

“Extensive damage across the street on adjacent houses and vehicles on the street,” Humphrey said. “A fire this size with this much of the block involved, under new construction is basically a big wood box, so there’s going to be some intense heat values coming off of that and with homes with vinyl siding across the street, that’s the damage you’re seeing on the other side.”

Humphrey says it was a massive fire and that no injuries were reported from residents.

“A small to medium sized community, any large structure like this is always a challenge,” he said. ‘No injuries to the public, we have two minor injuries to firefighters.”

Two people were evacuated from an adjacent townhome and nearby residents say the fire was intense.

“My neighbour actually rang my doorbell to let me know that there was something going on. My dog was freaking out and letting us know we needed to leave so we came out and there was just kind of a wall of heat, to be honest, we could really feel the flames from probably 100, 200 meters away, the fire was really that large,” said Caleb Langford.

“I woke up around 2:20 and it was really vibrant red in my bedroom so I thought what the heck. I looked outside and could hear some explosions and the entire building was on fire,” said Melissa De Haan.

Chief Humphrey says Cochrane has a significant water supply system and there was no issue getting water to the scene of the fire.  “We have to use it cautiously and we have to determine what hydrants we use and what part of the system but we didn’t have an issue with water supply.”

The fire has been contained but crews continue to put out hot spots.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.