The Airdrie Fire Department put out a significant blaze that broke out in the northeast part of that community on Wednesday morning.
Officials say they were called about the fire that involved two homes on Flett Drive at about 6:00 a.m.
Kevin Weinberger, the fire chief for the City of Airdrie,said the two homes were severely damaged as a result.
"Eight people have been evacuated from the homes. We haven't been in touch with the homeowner of the major home yet. We have Fortis at the scene and they've knocked out power to the whole block and we have ATCO in the back alley looking at the gas line for us."
Aerial trucks were brought in to keep the fire from spreading to other homes in the area.
"Everybody did a bang-up job. We had four fire trucks with a crew of 12 and it went down pretty quick," Weinberger said.
The blaze is considered to be under control, but people are being asked to stay away for the time being.
Weinberger said the cause is still under investigation.
"Our fire investigator has just arrived on scene and we'll have to wait until the fire is under control and cooled off."
One of the residents in the area says she never heard anything when the fire was burning.
"When I woke up at 8, I looked out the window and saw the house ablaze. We actually slept through it; our bedroom is in the back, so we slept through the whole thing. I was talking to the neighbour next door and she was saying at 6 o'clock the whole thing, the whole house was ablaze," said Margrete Lambden.
Lambden said the people at one of the homes had only just moved in a short time ago.
"I feel really bad. Especially the people in the second home. They just barely moved in. They've been there for barely a month or two. It's a young couple so I feel really bad for them. I didn't know the people but it's got to be devastating."
There was one bit of positive news for them though. Firefighters did manage to locate their cat, believed lost in the fire, hiding on a ledge in the basement.
