WATCH ABOVE: Global Edmonton viewer Kyle Flasha recorded video of the massive blaze.
EDMONTON – Three duplexes that were under construction in Fort Saskatchewan were destroyed in a massive fire Friday evening.
Fire crews were called to the Forest Ridge neighbourhood in Westpark around 5:34 p.m.
Area resident Trish Delisle says she was inside her home when she heard what sounded like an explosion.
“I was upstairs in my house and I heard a popping noise,” says Delisle, who lives about two blocks from the fire. “And then I heard sirens shortly after.
“I lifted up the blind and I could just see a big ball of flames.”
Large plumes of heavy black smoke could be seen coming from the duplexes. Deputy Chief Bill Heesing from the Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department says two other units were saved in the blaze. One unit was partially destroyed, Heesing added.
A few residents in the immediate area were asked to vacate their homes as a precaution, but they were able to return home on Saturday.
Five units from the Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department and two units from Strathcona County were called to battle the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire officials say the initial damage estimate sits at $2.5 million.
*Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015. It was updated at 4:44 p.m. Sunday to include the damage estimate.
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