It took crews about seven hours to get a massive townhouse fire under control in south Edmonton on Wednesday morning, and now police are investigating the blaze.
The Edmonton Police Service is asking for people in the Desrochers area to check their security devices for any video that could help in the suspicious fire investigation.
“Officers will be canvassing the area in the coming days to collect dash camera or home security video footage that was actively recording at 1 a.m. or later on Sept. 18,” said Det. Chantelle Kortbeek.
“Anyone with a camera active at this time is asked to please retain that footage and contact police.”
Just before 4:30 a.m., firefighters were called to the townhouse complex at the corner of 119 Street/Desrochers Boulevard Southwest and 35th Avenue Southwest.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said the first unit arrived at the scene at 4:32 a.m.
A second alarm was called immediately and a third alarm was called at 4:49 a.m. to bring in more crews. ATCO gas was working to shut off gas in the area, ERFS said around 8 a.m.
“It was a highly dangerous situation for a couple of hours there because they couldn’t shut off the gas,” said EFRS district chief Cory Cremer.
People who live in the area told Global News the townhouse complex where the fire started was under construction. Several nearby homes were also damaged — some extensively — by the fire.
Many residents in the area said they woke up around 4:30 a.m. to the sound of someone outside yelling, “fire!”
Henry Raga lives in the end unit of a row of townhouses next to where the fire started and said someone banged on his door and told him to get out. He said his house was destroyed.
“It’s literally just in front of us so good thing we heard the knock. We took out our cats and pets. We literally don’t have anything,” Raga said.
He tried to get his vehicles out of the area but wasn’t able to do that in time. He stood helplessly, watching the fire destroy his home.
“It’s kind of crazy.”
The scene remained very active throughout the morning, with several ladder trucks being used to spray water on the fire.
Ben Friesen lives in a nearby condo building and woke up around 4:30 a.m. to noise and commotion outside.
“I wasn’t sure what it was. I couldn’t fall back asleep and I hear someone running around outside yelling, ‘fire!’ The rest of the guys in the house and I got up and just got outside as quickly as possible.
“This section that’s all burned down was a framing job so it wasn’t completed finished. We got outside and saw it completely engulfed in flames. It was a pretty crazy sight.”
Doug Woolgar said he opened his eyes and his drapes looked orange, but he knew it was too early for the sun to be up.
“That was how we found out about the fire,” he said.
“I’ve always had concerns about this particular community and how tightly packed it is. You put all the fire protections in that you can but it’s tragic. Truly tragic.”
In a news release just before 6 a.m., Edmonton police said the area of 119th Street Southwest and 35th Avenue Southwest is closed to all vehicle traffic as police assist Edmonton Fire Rescue Services with a large structure fire.
Edmonton Public Schools said the nearby Dr. Anne Anderson High School will be closed on Wednesday due to the fire.
“This morning, we let parents and families know about the school closure through our emergency messaging system,” the school board said in a statement.
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“We are asking students and families to stay away from the school and the area as fire crews continue their work.”
Just before 8 a.m., EFRS said no injuries were reported. EFRS said the fire was brought under control around 11:30 a.m.
In a statement, Landmark Homes said it was made aware Wednesday morning of the fire at its development, called The Enclave.
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“We are deeply saddened in thinking of the impact on our homeowners and community,” the statement read in part.
“We are committed to assisting any displaced residents with accommodations. We will be reaching out to all homeowners of the impacted homes to develop a personalized plan to assist with any unique needs.”
About 80 residents who were forced from nearby homes were taken to buses in a nearby staging area and have since been connected with the emergency support response team to provide assistance for lodging, according to EFRS.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage is not known at this time.
Edmonton police have been investigating a series of arsons and extortions targetting homebuilders in the region. A spokesperson with the EPS said at this time, this suspicious fire does not appear to be linked to the Project Gaslight investigation.
Anyone with the requested video footage or other information related to the fire can contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone.
Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.
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