Calgary fire crews battled a house on fire in the southeast neighbourhood of Maple Ridge on Tuesday, but were unable to save it.
In a Tuesday evening news release, the Calgary Fire Department said one person was walking by the house located on Maplemont Road Southeast and called 9-1-1 when they saw smoke coming from it.
Another person who called 9-1-1 alerted the next-door residents to the fire. A man and woman were able to safely leave their home with their pet birds.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene saw a house engulfed in flames and the fire was spreading to a neighbouring house to the north. It was quickly upgraded by CFD to bring in additional resources.
The fire was “brought under control” at around 6 p.m., the release said.
A cat was rescued from the house to the north, which sustained damage to the roof, attic and the upstairs. Firefighters also retrieved some valuables for the homeowner, who is displaced until repairs are done to their home.
The house where the fire originated from was completely destroyed, CFD said.
A home to the south of the source house suffered minor heat damage to the exterior. The residents of that house were let back inside after firefighters ensured there wasn’t any carbon monoxide inside.
A fire investigator is looking into the origin and cause of the fire, the CFD said.
In addition to firefighters, Calgary Police Service officers were on scene helping with traffic and crowd control. Enmax and ATCO staff were also on scene to disconnect utilities to the source house and the house to the north.