Family and friends gather to remember Calgary woman who died in apartment fire and explosion

Family and friends gathered at the George C. King Tower in the East Village on Friday to remember Gail Davies-Howard.

On July 19th, a fire started in Davies-Howard’s apartment on the fourth floor which lead to an explosion, according to the Calgary Fire Department.

Friends are describing her as a kind woman who was an artist and writer.

“Gail was a sweet lady,” said Francine Kreba who lives in the King Tower. Kreba was one of  dozens of the residents evacuated when the explosion occurred.

“As I came out the front door, the windows blew out. There was an explosion — two of them — and all the glass went flying,” Kreba said.

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“They couldn’t get her out because they couldn’t get the door open,” said Kreba referring to the other residents who tried to open Davies Howard’s door at the time of the fire.

“I’m praying for Gail and her family and I’m so sorry that this tragedy happened, but let’s make something good come from this tragedy and improve our safety in all the buildings around here.”

The Calgary fire department has determined the fire was caused by food cooking on a stove that was left unattended. It’s one of the most common calls the CFD gets, according to public information officer Carol Henke.

“The room starts filling with smoke and hot gases and sometimes in certain situations if fresh air, oxygen is introduced to the environment it can create an explosion,” Henke said.

The fire department said the smoke alarm in the unit was not working.

“It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure there are working smoke alarms in the suites, but it is the tenants’ responsibility to maintain them. So testing them once a month making sure the battery is changed once a year,” Henke said.

Ward 7 councillor Terry Wong attended the memorial.

He’s encouraging people to be aware of their neighbours and the health and mobility issues they may have.

“We need to be supportive with each other and be available to each other, especially during catastrophic situations like this — to be empathetic and compassionate — just being aware of each other is critical, especially if you’re living alone,” Wong said.

Trinity Place Foundation says they have moved residents impacted by the fire while their homes are repaired.