A 35-year-old woman has died in hospital following an early morning house fire in the southwest community of Evergreen.
Shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday, firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 100 block of Everwoods Link S.W. after neighbours called 911 reporting the smell of smoke. When crews arrived, a man and two children were standing outside of the house and informed the CFD members that a woman remained inside.
Firefighters entered the burning home and located the missing woman using thermal imaging cameras. She was carried from the building and EMS members rushed her to hospital.
Neighbour Laurianne Schnell and her husband were stirred awake by the sound of their doorbell. On their doorstep was their neighbour and the two young girls.
"None of them had shoes on. One of the little girls I think was barefoot and the other one had sock feet," said Schnell. "He was standing there in his socks which were wet from the snow and no coat so I knew something was really wrong."
"The girls were fine they had some soot on their faces, they were a little bit dirty, dishevelled. Obviously they were woken up in the middle of the night."
Additional ambulances were sent to the scene to transport the rest of the family. A man, believed to be in his forties, was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition. His injuries include burns and smoke inhalation.
The woman's daughters, aged 3 and 8, were transported to hospital as a precautionary measure.
Fire crews successfully controlled the fire and firefighters remained on scene to monitor hot spots and vent the building.
The bodies of a dog, bird and hamster were located inside the home.
An investigation into the fire is underway. Officials believe the fire began in the kitchen of the home.
