More than 250 people were left homeless after a fire began when someone was smoking near oxygen inside their apartment in northeast Edmonton.
The fire began Tuesday afternoon at the Wyndham Crossing apartment complex (4908 134 Ave.) near Clareview Town Centre in the Sifton Park neighbourhood.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded around 1:30 p.m. and rolled up to see thick, black smoke pouring from the four-story building.
Within 40 minutes the situation was upgraded to a three-alarm blaze after the fire — which broke out on the second floor — quickly spread to the roof and rest of the building.
c” said Capt. Kevin Espetveidt with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS), adding crews searched the top floor until it became too dangerous to do so.
“Had to pull the crews back out for safety cause of a collapsing roof on the fourth floor.”
Edmonton fire said high winds played a role in how fast the flames spread.
“As the fire started in the southeast and once it got into the roof and opened up a hole in the roof, (the wind) was just feeding it,” Espetveidt said. “By the time we could get people off the balconies, fire attack crews were backing out.”
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“Made its way like crazy through that building with the wind.”
Margaret Paterson was one of the people who had to be rescued from her balcony. The senior heard yelling and banging in the hallway.
“I went to open the door in the hallway and it was full of black smoke and no lights on, so I had to shut the door again.
“The fireman had to get me down in the ladder,” she said with a giggle. She was relieved to hear her neighbours made it out safe.
“The rest is just material stuff. As long as we’re safe, that is the main thing, right?”
The apartment building was home to several newcomers to Canada, who expressed worries about replacing valuable documents and electronics.
“It’s gone. My passport all gone, my documents — right now I just have my ID and mobile — I don’t have any other documents. So it’s very difficult,” said international student Komalpreet Singh.
He was at work nearby when the fire broke out and rushed over after receiving a call from his sister. They’d been living at the apartment complex since last fall.
“It’s a little bit stressful because we don’t have anything now. Like, that’s all we have,” he said, while also recognizing stuff can be replaced.
“The good thing is that no human life, no one is hurt.”
Espetveidt said while some crews searched the building to get people and their pets out safely, other teams worked to control the flames.
Crews remained on scene overnight and into Wednesday, searching units inside the gutted building and hosing down hot spots.
One person was taken to hospital and one cat was found dead, but no other injuries were reported.
On Thursday, EFRS said the investigation into the fire determined it was caused by “smoking while using home oxygen within an apartment suite.”
A damage assessment for the property has not yet been done, but between the flames and water, the apartment building was left gutted.
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