Watch above: Five people have been forced from their homes by fire that destroyed one triplex and damaged another. Fletcher Kent reports.
EDMONTON – The Canadian Red Cross has been called in to assist five people – four adults and one child – who are now homeless after an early morning fire in west Edmonton.
Police and fire crews were called to the blaze, which started in a triplex that was under construction in area of Stony Plain Road and 160 Street, around 12:45 a.m. The blaze quickly spread to a neighbouring condo building what was occupied by residents.
Police arrived first on scene and started evacuating the building. Crews say the majority of the residents inside were still asleep.
“I literally left with naked feet,” said Pankaj Sor, whose home was extensively damaged in the fire. “I have no shelter and I have a four-month-old daughter. We’re just borrowing clothes from friends.”
About 56 firefighters responded to the blaze. The unit under construction was completely destroyed, while the unit next door sustained extensive damage.
“It scared me because all of these embers were coming across the street to our building and my main concern was the safety of our building too because the building is full of tenants,” said Ken Dayeson who lives in a nearby unit.
“It’s basically like a bonfire. It’s a bunch of sticks put together and that’s basically what this structure is,” said District Chief Pat Lucki with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services. “So it gets going really good, really hard.”
Other neighbouring buildings had melted siding, but those residents were able to return to their homes.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Investigators say they are not ruling out arson at this point.
The financial cost of the damage has not yet been determined.
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