A home under construction in the downtown Calgary neighbourhood of Bridgeland went up in flames on Wednesday night.
The fire first broke out at about 9:30 p.m. in the 100 block of 6A St. N.E.
When crews first arrived, they immediately called for a second truck, followed by a third.
Intense flames and smoke shot out of the roof of the building, sending residents out to the street for safety as the fire threatened their homes as well.
Crews attacked the blaze by ground and by aerial ladder.
They also sprayed down adjacent homes and a multi-unit complex to protect them from the heat of the fire.
A neighbour says he was just getting out of the shower when he heard someone pounding on his door to get out. “A man came to my door and knocked, quite emphatically a couple of times. I came to the door and he yelled ‘there’s a fire next door’. I looked outside and, sure enough, there was a fire outside. So I went, grabbed my coat, turned off my oven and went outside.”
CFD Battalion Chief Ernie Molineaux says they evacuated the immediate area as soon as they realized the danger. “We did evacuate the surrounding area just in case the fire did get away from us, just as a precaution. So far it seems to be that we have contained it to the source structure.”
Molineaux added that no one was injured in the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it isn’t believed to be suspicious.
