WATCH ABOVE: A family of five is homeless Saturday night, after a Boxing Day blaze turned their Airdrie home into ashes. No word on what started the fire, but the house is gutted and now neighbours are rallying to help for the holidays. Tracy Nagai has the story.
CALGARY – Fire crews were called to a house fire in Airdrie at around 9 a.m. Saturday morning, a family of five was home at the time.
Two adults and three children made it out of the house safely.
“On arrival, fire crews found heavy smoke and flame coming from the garage area, extending itself up to the second floor,” said Garth Rabel, deputy chief for the Airdrie Fire Department.
The house is destroyed, but neighbours are already setting up a fundraiser for the family.
Officials continue to investigate what caused the fire.
Firefighters from Airdrie and Crossfield battled the blaze.
Two adjacent homes were also damaged but firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading.
“In new home construction, there’s always concerns with the proximity of the houses to each other. So our teams quickly and really effectively, set up large exposure nozzles to the house on the north side and they were able to ensure there was minimal damage,” said deputy chief Rabel.
For neighbours, the fire is unnerving, especially over the holidays.
“It’s scary being this close to home, very scary being so close to home. I’m just really shooken up by it because it’s so close to home. I just feel so bad for those people,” said Teri Wagner who lives nearby.
The following message is circulating on social media, for those that want to help the Airdrie family.
With files from Tracy Nagai
WATCH BELOW: Raw video of fire fighters extinguishing house
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